


A Little Faster

by Rileykins



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, Mate Scenting, Non Sexual ABO, Other, Prophetic Dreams, Slow Burn, Werewolves!AU, alternative universe, hand holding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-04-13 17:29:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14117337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rileykins/pseuds/Rileykins
Summary: Marley Saric has moved into her grandparents home that sits on the edge of Olympic National Forest in Washington state. Her grandmother once believed that werewolves protected the forest, keeping harmful people out while protecting those that resided inside of it. Too old now for fairy tales, Marley begins this new chapter in her life with the forest in her backyard, a constant reminder of the people she's lost, and the growing realization that fairy tales aren't only for children.(Chapter titles are lyrics from Hoizer's "Take me to Church")





	1. my lover's got humor

The house was much bigger than she remembered it being.

Marley Saric turned the car off and leaned back in her chair, taking in the sight before her. Her grandparents house was big, painted in neutrals and whites with faded, soft green shutters along the windows. The half-wrap around porch had been stained the summer after her grandmother died was already starting to patch in some areas. She remembered the flower garden in the front; the way the stone path seemed to organically grow onto itself that it led right to the front of the house. The semi-crooked staircase, with the foundation on the right weakened slightly so that the stairs dipped a little. Marley smiled. Her grandfather grumbled about those stairs everytime she came to visit, claiming one day she’d twist her ankle running up those stairs to jump into his lap.

Now the house was her’s.

The pressure she had been feeling for most of the trip seemed to disappear once she opened the car door. The heavy scent of pine and wet grass hung all around her, a familiar, nostalgic smell that calmed her nerves. She got out of the car and jingled the keys in her hands, the house key already situated on her loaded key-ring. The air held a heaviness in it, like it was waiting for something. Marley could feel that same anticipation in her bones, and she hadn’t been able to put her finger on it until now.

Her grandfather has passed away almost half a year ago, but moving from El Paso to her grandparent’s house had been a logistical nightmare. A 27 hour drive turned into a four day trip, with her GPS frequently rerouting itself. She didn’t dare think about what the moving company could be going through. Her mother would have told her to come home if she had answered her phone. “It's a sign you didn’t belong there.” She would have said. Thankfully, her grandparents clearly had other plans in mind. Marley tucked some hair behind her ear and marched up the stone laden path towards the front door of her new home. She had made the drive five years previous with her mother; shortly after her grandmother had passed away.

The loss of her grandmother had been the first real familial death Marley had dealt with, and it was something that had changed the brunette. The drive that time had been filled with nothing but memories, laughs and some tears. Marley smiled, and walked further up the path to the house.

The house backed onto the Olympic National Forest; a rare treat since the Grisdale residential committee had bought most of the land (and houses) to either tear down completely to turn into swanky Airbnbs for tourists. Her grandparents had resisted and refused most offers to sell their house, and even after her bullheaded grandmother had passed, her grandfather stood his ground against the committee. It had been written into their will that the house would remain in the family for as long as it could, and when it was to be sold, that the land remained under the Saric name as long as possible. 

Marley had received it considering she was the eldest out of a brood of ten grandchildren.

Reaching the front door, she pushed her key in and turned, the lock clicking open. As she opened the door, the familiar smell of pine and wet moss hit her. The house had always smelt like the forest after a rainstorm; no matter how many candles her grandparents would light, or how often they lit the fireplace. She closed the door, toed her shoes off, and walked further into her home, re-familiarizing herself with the creaky floorboards that she had slid across as a child.

Most of the furniture her grandparents had collected over the years had been sold after the funeral. Marley wasn’t going to keep it, and she knew her family didn’t want most of it either. It had been a mash-up of everything. Back in their glory days, her grandparents had been dumpster divers and under qualified fixer-uppers. A passionate hobby that fell to the wayside with promises of “next weekend”, or “next month”. Marley had been quick to have most of whatever was left sold. All that was left were the essentials. Her grandmother’s rocking chair stood lonely in the living room next to the fireplace, but her furniture from her apartment in El Paso would be arriving tomorrow. Marley had a few boxes in the trunk of her car with the things she couldn’t trust with a moving company, but those could be brought in later. For now, she knew she had some work to do.

By the time the sun was beginning to set, Marley had set most of her personal knick-knacks and photographs up, had gotten her computer completely set up and hooked up properly, and was cooking dinner. Settling wouldn’t be completed until all of her things were here, but for now, what she had was good enough.

Her iHome system played a soft instrumental piece as she finished cleaning the dishes from dinner. The forest had fallen silent as the sun fell beyond its treetops, casting the house in long shadows.

That was when she heard the first wolf call.

Wolves weren’t too common around the forest. Marley paused, reaching for the iHome remote to click it off when the second howl sounded, eerily close to the back of the house. Marley felt her heart rate pick up, and with a quick glance to her front door, she headed for the back door, wondering if it was wise to go out. Rather than stepping outside and risking the wolves quieting down, the brunette settled for standing in the floor to ceiling glass door, listening as the wolf calls started once more.

That had always been one of Marley’s favourite things about visiting her grandparents: hearing the wildlife in the background. Her grandmother had made comments that the forest was protected land, held down by a pack of werewolves. Her grandfather scoffed and simply said it was the government protecting it, not a fairy tale creature. A smile graced the brunette’s lips and she closed her eyes as the calls began to stagger down. She liked to think a little more on her grandmother’s side. The little girl in her stood with her nose pressed to the glass, begging for a werewolf to look out from the forestline.

Her cell phone rang in the kitchen.

Marley half jogged across the space of the living room back into the kitchen, grabbing her phone on the third ring. “Hello?”

“Marley! You’re alive! I’ve only been trying to reach you since this morning!”

The familiarity of the voice on the other line made the brunette’s shoulders sag in relief. “Sorry Jay, been busy with stuff.” Marley answered a bit lamely, looking at the small pile of dishes she had cleaned. Jenna Masters - the voice on the other line - was Marley’s best friend. They were both born and raised in Nevada, had both moved to Texas sometime before their high school years (both for different reasons, of course) and now they were both on the West Coast, with Jenna down in California and Marley now in Washington. She was technically finished unpacking, and had been unpacked for a few hours now, but the real work would be tomorrow.

Her friend scoffed on the other line. “Busy? I doubt that! Have you moved in yet?”

“I mean, technically yes,” Marley paused, realizing too little too late she had all but given Jenna exactly what she wanted to hear. “but all my things are on the road still, so I-”

“Perfect! Connor and I will be over tomorrow, bright and early to help you unpack. Connor’s got a buddy that can come over and help too if you’re cool with that!” Jenna sounded far too excited. Marley narrowed her eyes, turning her back to the pile of drying dishes in her sink. 

“Jenna?”

“Yeah?”

“Did y’all rent one of the AirBNBs or something? Because I know for a fact y’all can’t make the trip up the coast to be here ‘bright and early’ even if Connor had the force on his side.”

There was some silence on the line. Then Jenna laughed. Cackled, really. “How’d you know!”

“Jenna!” Marley laughed, shaking her head. “My grandma would be so disappointed in you!”

“Oh your grandma loved me no matter what I did. We’ll swing by sometime around eight, alright?” Jenna managed to calm herself down enough to speak, panting slightly.

Marley sighed, grinning. “Alright. Thank you, Jenna. Let Connor know I don't have any coffee - or any groceries, really - so if y’all want some of that, bring it yourselves.”

“You got it! See ya!”

“See ya.”

Hanging up, Marley sighed and leaned against the counter for a moment with her eyes closed, a small smile hanging on the corner of her lips. The wolves had stopped sometime during the phone conversation, and while the brunette was happy for the silence, she was suddenly so very aware that she was alone. There was no one else in the house, there weren’t even any plants. That would change. Tomorrow, when everything was said and done, Marley could zip into town, give the place the once over once again, and see what it had to offer.

For now, it was time to sleep. Turning the lights off, Marley was pleasantly rewarded with the soft moonlight cascading into the house, lighting her way towards the staircase and up to her new room. 

By the time Marley had made it to the bed, she had all but collapsed onto the heavy quilted bed, sleep nearly swallowing her whole. Struggling to get her clothes off, the woman simply gave up and snuggled down into the soft mattress, pulling it up half-heartedly around her waist before giving in to the exhaustion the long day had left on her shoulders. 

Tomorrow would be very interesting.


	2. she's the giggle at a funeral

Roman Reigns woke up the following morning to a familiar headache, and his phone buzzing on his side table. For a moment he didn’t care that the morning Washington sun was beaming near directly onto to his face; his first concern was the horrible buzzing his phone was making on the wooden table to his left. He grappled for it, fingers wrapping around the smart phone with some difficulty. He didn’t bother checking the I.D., instead he slid the answer button to the right, and pressed the phone to his ear.

“It better be an emergency,” He growled to whoever was on the other line.

 

A short laugh, followed with a content sigh. “Roman! Good morning!” Crowed Connor. Roman could pick up the sounds of water running in the background, and something sizzling. Leave it to overly-eager Connor to be the first person to talk to him in the morning after a- “Listen,” the other male continued, cutting off Roman’s train of thought. “I know you’ve been interested in that place that was abandoned a while ago, the uh, Saric place?” There was a soft clatter in the metal sink that echoed dimly.

 

Roman closed his eyes, his free hand coming to pinch the bridge of his nose. “What about it?”

 

A break on Connor’s end. “The granddaughter moved in last night.”

 

The male sat up a little more in bed, wincing now as the sunlight caught his eyes. “She did?” Roman asked, voice low. There was a non-committal noise, and Connor cleared his throat.

 

“Guess who offered to help move her in today?”

 

The half Saomoan groaned. Of course he had been volun-told to do something, even if it was to his benefit. “When do I need to be there?” He rumbled, half exasperated.

 

“Preferably in half an hour, forty minutes tops.” Connor replied. There was a smug tone in his voice and for half a minute Roman didn’t like whatever Connor was planning. “We’ll be there too, that’s why I’m not saying rush your ass over there before we get there. Or do. I don’t know when the moving trucks are supposed to get there.”

 

There was a secondary clatter that matched the first one, and Roman sighed. “I’ll be there in forty.” He paused, and then sighed. “Don’t make me regret this.”

 

“When have I ever?” Connor laughed, and hung up before the other male had a chance to reply. 

 

Laying back down against his pillows, Roman closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. It had been a strange night last night. He had gotten home from work and had noticed that there was a change in the air, that something different had happened. He hadn’t been able to put his finger on it, so instead he fell into his usual routine. Then the rest of the night faded into a soft black haze, and while the details would end up coming back to him eventually, right now it was all a blur. He dropped his phone on the side table once again and moved to get up from bed, wincing as his hip pulled sharply. That wasn’t good. 

 

With a practised move he threw the covers back and looked down at his right side, frowning as the marks from last night were still healing. He ran his fingers over them, and shook his head, looking up to the ceiling. As long as there wasn’t any blood on his sheets, he didn’t really care. Marks always healed. Scars journalled everything he had been through. These would look neat, silvered up and pale against his skin.

 

Pushing up from the bed, Roman headed for the en-suite bathroom, and got ready for the day.

 

He slipped on a pair of boxers and some grey joggers, fishing a pair of socks out of his laundry bin, followed by a loose fitting shirt. His long black hair was pulled back into a knot, a few stubborn strands framing his face while he headed down into the kitchen. In a few seconds, Roman realized a few things were already not normal. Namely, his coffee maker was already on. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and noticed nearly immediately that there was another person in the house; there was a window open in the living room. He took a soft inhale, and started to walk towards the living room.

 

The tall male rolled his eyes at the sight before him. Stretched out on the couch that was just a bit too small for him, laid one of his best friends. A bit of the black haze raised in his mind at the right of the male, but for the most part it was still a wonder. Roman approached the end of the couch with heavy steps, knowing the other male slept lightly. “Seth if you keep this up, I’ll start charging you rent.” He walked over to the end of the couch and smacked the socked feet of his best friend off the couch, waking the sleeping man up with a jolt.

 

“What! What, what- I’m awake,” Seth Rollins stammered, startling awake from the force of the smack. He sat up, dark brown eyes flashing as he suddenly looked to see the man that had woken him up. “Roman! Christ, dude. Don’t wake me up like that.” He groaned, rubbing his face as he laid back down. 

 

The darker haired male smirked, shaking his head. “You can’t just crash here whenever you like, /dude/.” Roman shot back, turning slightly to start walking back into the kitchen. “I got shit to do, and you don’t live here.” 

 

Both Roman and Seth had been friends for years.

 

Seth groaned, and moved to stand, spine cracking in the effort from sleeping cramped on a small couch.“You know I couldn’t make the trip back home, and it’s never bugged you before.” Seth said, narrowing his eyes slightly. “You makin’ coffee?” He asked, sniffing the air slightly.

 

Halfway into the kitchen, the taller male stopped. “...No,” Roman said, looking back at Seth with a similar look. “I thought you had started the machine?”

 

Seth shook his head, but there was an apprehension in his shoulders. “Not me.”

 

There was a silence that fell heavily between the two men for a few seconds, before the bathroom door down the hall creaked open, the sound of the toilet flushing faintly echoing. Both Roman and Seth instinctively moved into a defensive position, with the taller of the two moving closer to the hallway so he could see the intruder clearer. As he moved to jump out, a scruffy looking male in a loose off-white shirt and jeans sauntered around the corner, startling when he saw Roman and Seth.

 

“Aw Jesus you guys!” Dean Ambrose growled, throwing his hands into the air. His blue eyes flashed. “Next time you two wanna scare the crap out of me, could you wait until after I’ve had coffee?”

 

Roman growled in return, a powerful chest rumble that made both Seth and Dean look down to the floor, and ran a hand over his face as he tried to calm himself down. He couldn’t head over to the Saric place walking on the edge of a pin; that was the very last thing he needed. Dean caught his breath, hand pressed over his heart, while Seth chuckled behind Roman. “Look you two. I got shit to do today at the Saric house and-” Roman said, waving his hand noncommittally.

 

That caught their attention.

 

“The Saric house?” Seth said, interrupting the taller male.

 

“The one and only Saric house? Why?” Dean questioned half-heartedly, brushing past Roman to duck into the kitchen. He wasn’t as interested as Seth was in the Saric house or family.

 

Roman shook his head at the questions, shrugging. He knew just as much as they did. “Connor called me today to tell me he volunteered my muscles to help her move in.” He watched as Dean helped himself to whatever was in his cupboards, namely one of his collector ‘big man’ mugs and shoved it under the coffee maker. “I’m supposed to leave in twenty minutes.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking his messages.

 

“Will Connor be there?” Dean asked, and Roman didn’t miss the faint venomous tone in his voice.

 

“Yes. I’ll talk to him about missing these last few weeks, too.” Roman answered.

 

Seth yawned loudly, cracking his neck. “Well, if you gotta get over there, you should probably head on out. Dean and I can hold the fort down.” He looked pointedly at Roman.

 

“I know,” the Samoan grumbled. “I should go.”

 

“Get goin’ Alpha, it’s all good.” Dean said, looking over his shoulder as he poured in some creamer and sugar into his coffee. No wonder he was constantly bouncing around. Roman sighed again, this time more so in defeat than acceptance, and turned to head towards the front door. Dean stirred his coffee, turning to lean his hip against the counter as Seth moved to join him, reaching up behind him to grab a similar mug.

 

“Do y’think its gunna happen?” Seth asked his packmate lowly. Dean squinted slightly at Roman’s back, relaxing only once the Alpha had stepped out of the house. 

 

Dean took a drink of his coffee. “Maybe. Who knows? The Saric line’s been diluted for as long as anyone remembers. I’m not gunna hold my breath for him.” The mousy haired male replied with a touch of ice in his voice. Seth nudged him out of the way, pushed his mug under the coffee maker’s spout, and thumbed the button. There had been a long foretold story of sorts that had been passed down from generation to generation in Roman’s family line. Most of the original story had been mixed up, cut up and suited to fit ill-meaning weddings, but Roman had gone to the elders of the pack who had the original story still memorized.

 

_ Of Saric they will be, loss deep in their veins. _

_ Traxedia follows their footsteps, lunges without warning. _

_ An Alfa reigns, breaking covenant is their way. _

_ With no more loss, begins harmonization of Saric and Alfa. _

 

It was spotty, often grammatically incorrect which led to the modernization of the so called poem within the pack. Both Dean and Seth had heard the more modern version of the tale, but Roman had heard both. It led to him singling out the Saric family, wondering in growing anxiety about whether or not he was the one the tale spoke of. 

 

“I think he’s got a better chance of fulfilling this mission he’s been on than anyone else does.” Seth commented, moving away from the kitchen to sit in the living room. “Roman’s got this in the bag.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone so far for their Kudos and their support! I'm hoping everyone is as eager for the next chapter as I am!


	3. knows everybody's disapproval

By the time Roman had driven onto the Saric property, a single large moving truck was already on scene, but Connor’s car wasn’t there. He almost groaned. Of course Connor wouldn’t be here already. That left the question of should he stay or wait down the road for Connor to show up? He couldn’t just throw his truck into reverse now, could he? Not without making some sort of scene. 

 

He pulled up just alongside the moving truck and killed the engine, leaning back in his seat to survey the controlled chaos that was moving day. Of course, he didn’t know who he was supposed to be looking for; all he knew was that the Saric house that his pack had talked about for years didn’t seem to match up with what they spoke of. The property had grown in a little bit since the passing of the owners, overgrowth strangled the pathway that would take him down the man-made path into the forest. There was ivy clinging stubbornly to the west side of the house, threatening to choke the eavestrough on that side. 

 

He wasn’t here to observe the house. Roman was here to help a girl move into a family home.

 

With a sigh, he pocketed his keys before he opened his door and hopped out, closing it with a little more of a snap than necessary. One of the three movers looked back as he carried what looked like an ancient vanity table in, but didn’t bother to give Roman much more attention, looking back to his partner to let him know there was someone else on sight. He headed for the truck, wondering if he should wait there or try and head inside. Thankfully his answer was by the back of the truck: it seemed like the granddaughter was watching the movers like a hawk. It was understandable. Movers were notorious for stealing.

 

“Hello?” Roman said gently, looking at the brunette.

 

Marley jumped slightly at the sound of a new voice, and turned to look at the approaching male, who nearly and very clearly dwarfed her at almost a whole foot over her, even from where he stood. There was a familiarity to him, like she had seen his face before, but she just couldn’t figure out from where. Noticing she was staring, the smaller brunette gave a weak smile, hoping to come across as friendly versus fake.

 

“H-hey,” She squeaked. Clearing her throat while the Samoan smirked, Marley found the dignity in herself not to blush at how easily he seemed in his bulk. “Hi, I - I’m uh, I guess you’re Connor’s friend?” She asked, suddenly glancing around to see if Jenna had arrived yet. 

 

“Yeah, Connor had told me you’d need some help.” Roman offered. He looked back at the movers who haven’t come down from their trip into the house. There was still over two feet of space between him and Marley, and while it was a comfortable space, there was something rattling around in his bones, pressuring him to get closer. Marley had her hair up in a bun, her bangs fallen to the left side of a part. He watched her casually, before the clattering of boots on the hardwood inside caught his attention.

 

The movers - all three of them - rushed from the house.

 

Roman narrowed his eyes, watching the tall, burly men slow their pace once they were off the porch. Something had spooked them. Marley paid them little mind, and pushed off from the truck to approach the foreman of the group. “Did the vanity make it up alright?” The little brunette asked the foreman, and he found himself walking up closer to her, until a wave of- a wave of /something/ nearly knocked him back. 

 

The werewolf approached Marley from behind, making sure he was in full view of the movers. He paused when the smell returned at a crash. The smell grew stronger as he got closer to Marley, forcing himself to stop a careful distance back from her, but there was no mistaking the wafting scent of a campfire that originated around the brunette. The movers were speaking, but Roman couldn’t hear them, he was too focused- hyper focused on the smell that only he could smell.

 

The rattling in his bones subsided as he sniffed the air.

 

“Roman! Marley!” Called a feminine voice, breaking the sudden peace Roman felt within the presence of the Saric girl. Marley turned away from the foreman she was speaking to, to see her best friend and her fiance approaching from the side of the moving truck. 

 

The Alpha couldn’t help but watch as Marley half skipped towards the incoming brunette, arms wide. “We brought coffee and snacks!” Jenna Masters brandished the tray of coffees in one hand while her other hand held a bag of what could only be the snacks she had spoken of. Jenna looked just as pretty as she had when she had been introduced to him a few years ago. Connor grinned from beside her, carrying a similar get up in his own hands, with what could only be described as a duffel bag tossed over his shoulder as well. 

 

Roman took the frantic seconds of Marley having to pass him as a chance to scent her a little more, the smell of a campfire emanating from her and only her. He watched carefully as she threw her arms around the girl first, taking the tray of coffee from her to then look to Connor, who smirked and put an arm around her in a side-hug. Roman’s hackles would have raised if it weren’t for the fact that he wasn’t sure if what he was smelling was right. There would always be a hesitancy. Connor looked over Marley’s head and met his Alpha’s eyes, giving a nod slightly before he let the brunette go and headed over to him.

 

“So, you’ve met Marley.” Connor said quietly, handing Roman the bag of danishes. “She’s the granddaughter, obviously.”

 

“Where have you been?” Roman was quick to cut him off. He didn’t want to talk about Marley at this very moment. His eyes were glued to her. “You know you can’t be away from the pack for much longer on full moons.” 

 

Connor winced, and with his free hand rubbed the back of his neck. “I know, I know…’

 

“No, you don’t. Or else you would have been with us last night.”

 

“I can’t just drive up the two hours on a whim without tipping Jenna off, Roman.”

 

The tall male broke his gaze with the female and loaded it onto Connor. “Do you remember the last time someone avoided shifting with the pack?” He asked lowly, aware that there could be any number of people listening. 

 

Connor couldn’t meet his Alpha’s eyes. 

 

“Answer me.” Roman growled, blue eyes darkening with the effort.  

 

There was a slight brush of energy that rippled along the other male’s body and he grunted with the effort. “I do remember, Alpha.” Connor gritted out.

 

He nodded, keeping his eyes on the other male. “Unless you want to end up like /he/ did, I suggest you figure it out.” Roman finished, and turned to look as Jenna and Marley headed inside. Connor sagged once the eye contact was broken, jerking slightly when he almost dropped the tray of coffee. The taller male narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the door frame where the two girls had disappeared into. “What do I have to do, Connor? I have to help her move in, but with the movers and with you guys… was I really needed here?”

 

The shorter brunet nodded. “I had to get you over here. There’s no telling when that prophecy - or tale - will come to pass. Who knows if it's about you, your children, your grandchildren…” Connor slowed down, and started to walk towards the house again. “Your dad tried, for years. He didn’t want you to follow in his path, but here we are.” The shorter male looked over at Roman, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m sure you’d know if this was meant to be.”

 

Roman did know. He had to have. He had been around countless people, supernatural and mundane. Never once had he experienced something like that before. He gave Connor another minute or two before he followed, ducking his head slightly as he entered the Sarci household.

 

It was a mess. 

 

Boxes were everywhere, and furniture more or less piled together in the center of the room they were supposed to be in. It was controlled chaos for the most part, but it wasn’t controlled enough for his liking. Roman could feel his hackles rising at the thought of having to clean, but the air was hazy with her smell, and while the annoyance was there, she was calming to him. It was a strange mix, but the wolf didn’t want to mess this up. So he moved into the kitchen, where there was less of a mess, but more bodies. 

 

Marley and Jenna were unpacking the duffel bag of bagged groceries, and the movers were dropping off what could only be the last of the big furniture in the house before they were left with the marked boxes. Connor was near the other end of the room, furthest from Roman as he pressed a button on the coffee maker by the fridge. 

 

Roman cleared his throat and approached the girls, first. “What should I get started with?” He had been invited to come help her move, and that was what he planned to do.

 

Marley looked up first, a faint pink blush coloring her cheeks. “Oh!” She said, and nudged Jenna slightly. “Um, I have some boxes that need to go up into the spare bedroom- which, will be the second door on the left.” Marley paused as the coffee machine spluttered behind her, before looking back at Roman, the blush in her cheeks fading. “I’ll be using it as storage since Gran and Grandpa didn’t have a garage.” She gestured to the boxes piled by the staircase marked ‘To Store’, smiling more relaxedly at him. 

 

“There’s also a few boxes by the living room that say ‘bedroom’ on them, those also need to go upstairs.” She seemed less anxious and less nervous, especially telling Roman what to do.

 

The wolf nodded, smiling as he grabbed two stacked boxes and lifted with relative ease, heading up the stairs with them. 


	4. should've worshipped her sooner

By the time dinner had rolled around, the house was looking less like a mess and more like a home. 

 

Marley lounged on the long sofa Connor and Roman had carried in a few hours prior. Most of the big furniture had been placed in its right place, and all that was left were boxes that she could get through on her own. Jenna announced she was staying the night over dinner, citing she hadn’t had a girls night in since college, and Marley didn’t have the heart to tell her to go home. Connor had simply sighed, and had resigned to spending the night as well, apologizing to Marley about suddenly homing unwanted visitors.

 

She held a glass of red wine - Jenna’s idea - in her hand, and she watched beyond it’s rim at the two gentlemen in the kitchen, washing up dinner dishes. She was locked onto Roman, his shoulders and back must be tired from the heavy lifting and the constant juggling of fumbling furniture-

 

“It’s fascinating isn’t it?” Came Jenna’s drawl from beside her, a quick elbow to the hip making Marley grin and blush at the same time. She had been caught. “When men want something, they usher us women out of the room to get it done.”

 

The Saric girl rolled her eyes and lifted her glass to her lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Jenna spluttered at her best friend’s almost nonchalant comment, making Marley giggle. “You don’t- Oh come on Marls!” Jenna squirmed, readjusting to kneel on the dark fabric couch, looking back at her fiance and his friend, before squinting back at her. “Your gran didn’t raise no fool.”

 

Marley nodded, shaking her head slightly. “No, gran didn’t. But she did raise my mother, and my mama’s some kinda fool, I tell ya.” The southern accent rose slightly from Marley’s mouth, and she raised her glass of wine up and touched it against Jenna’s. “To the people who left this beautiful place in my name.” 

 

It still hurt to think that they were gone. To know that she would never smell her grandfather’s choking cologne, to never hear her grandmother shuffle from the kitchen to her rocking chair-

 

“To your grandparents.” Jenna whispered, and returned the soft touch of glass on glass, before taking a healthy drink of her wine. Suddenly glad that her best friend was staying the night, Marley stretched her legs out and leaned back against the couch, waiting to hear all about the going ons in her life.

 

Meanwhile, in the kitchen both Connor and Roman were finishing up the chores they had offered themselves up for. They had used the dishes as an excuse to talk to one another without prying eyes or eavesdroppers. 

 

“So you, scented her?” Connor asked, rubbing a plate down and putting it onto the pile with the others. He and Roman had been passing the same plates back and forth for five minutes, looking to stall for more time to talk about what had happened. “What did she smell like?”

 

Roman hummed slightly, lifted a shoulder. He didn’t trust Connor with this sort of information, but until he could get back to Seth and Dean, this wolf would have to do. “Campfire. Smouldering, smokey.” He licked over his bottom lip as he took the dry plate from Connor and dunked it into the cooling suds in the sink. “I wasn’t sure at first, since the land sits not too far from a campsite in the forest, but… I didn’t smell it anywhere else but around her.” 

 

Connor nodded, piling the clean plates up into the cupboard. “When I scented Jenna, she smelled like a field of orchids after a rain shower.” He smiled, and looked over his shoulder at her. “She still smells like that, but it’s not as strong anymore. I can get through the day now without wanting to jump her bones whenever she walks into the room.” He took the plate Roman passed back to him. 

 

A beat passed between them. “She’s not going to understand our rituals, Roman.” Connor said softly.

 

“What do you mean?” Roman replied, reaching into the sink to drain it.

 

“How do I tell her I’m a werewolf?” There was a pause, and then the shorter male looked back at his Alpha. “Or that there are things she has to do in order to actually wed me in the eyes of our elders? Our pack is a stickler for the rules.” Connor asked, frowning slightly. He dried the plate off, put it with the others, and leaned on the counter. “She used to ask why I disappeared for a week at a time. She thinks I see my dad, but…”

 

The air felt heavy. Connor’s parents had been killed when he was young, adopted by a childless pair of werewolves. Roman remembered when it had happened; it had been the first time in almost fifty years that not one, but two werewolves were murdered right in pack land. It was still a sore spot for a lot of pack members. 

 

Connor sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know how much longer I can lie to protect the pack.”

 

“Protect the pack?” Roman repeated. “That’s not what you’re doing.”

 

“Yes it is.” Connor’s tone was low. “She’s mundae, Roman. Human. I can’t bring her over for Sunday dinners with the rest of them and think she’ll be okay and not have a zillion questions. Hell, I don’t even know if how she would react. I don’t want to lose her.” The brunet pushed off from the counter and moved to the fridge, opening it to reveal some basic groceries and a pack of beer. He pulled two bottles out and brandished one for Roman, cracking his open easily.

 

Roman swirled the beer around in the brown bottle, frowning. “Why don’t you try and bring her over to my place? Seth and Dean will be on their best behaviour, if you want them there.”

 

“Are the dishes done, boys?”

 

Roman’s eyes flickered over to Marley and Jenna, who looked comfortable with limbs slung over each other. Jenna had her legs over Marley’s lap, and Marley had an arm over them, her other hand cradling a glass of wine she had been sipping from. He flashed them both a grin, and moved towards the door frame, leaning on it as he watched the two girls. “You two look much more than comfortable,” he commented. “Dishes are done, and I’m gonna finish this beer before I take off.” He lifted his beer up, and swore he saw the look of disappointment flicker across Marley’s face.

 

“You don’t have to go- you’re drinking.” Marley said, gently pushing Jenna’s legs off her lap to stand, putting her wine on the coffee table. “I can’t let you drive home after a beer.”

 

Roman looked down at the beer in his hand and then at her. “It’s one bottle, Marley. I can manage.” 

 

Connor slipped around Roman to sit in the matching loveseat, taking a drink of his own beer.

 

Brushing some hair behind her ear, Marley bit the corner of her lip as she looked at Roman again. “There’s more than enough space for us.” She faltered, the faint pink blush crawling up her skin again. “Jenna and Connor can sleep in the master bedroom, you can have the spare bedroom and I can sleep-”

 

“You’re /not/ sleeping on the couch, Marley! No damn way,” Jenna piped up, frowning at her. 

 

“Gran’s got a cot under the bed in the spare room,” She shot back, and Jenna raised an eyebrow at her. “I can sleep on that, down here.” Marley looked back at the tall Samoan, meeting his gaze easily.

 

Roman shook his head, pushing off from the door frame to get closer to her. The smell of campfire was back. Was it spurred on by emotions or by something else? He didn’t have the time to really think about it. “I’d love to take you up on that offer, but I’ve barely had any of this IPA crap Connor’s pushing on me-“

 

“Hey!”

 

“And I’ve left my place in the hands of my friends and I’m worried they’ve accidentally burned the place down.” Roman pushed on, ignoring Connor as he then reached behind him to sit his half-drank beer on the counter. He looked back down at Marley and gave her a smile. “I only live down the road anyways.”

 

“You… live around here?” Marley asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

 

The werewolf nodded. Grisdale had tried to push his pack out too, but they had remained strong against the committee, similar to Marley’s grandparents. It helped that a few pack mates were on the committee now, too. “Twenty, thirty minutes down the road.” He said easily, lifting a shoulder. “Lived around here my whole life, I’ve got family all around Washington state.” He wasn’t wrong.

 

His pack was strong and large in numbers that it had split into two a little over ten years ago. The Wynooche Pack, which was the pack Roman was Alpha of, and the Tacoma pack, which was the secondary half of the pack. They all got together twice a year to discuss borders and the like.

 

Marley sighed, catching his attention again. The disappointment Roman saw across her face made his chest ache. “I can’t force you to stay, but I guess, let me know when you get home?”

 

Roman smirked slightly. “I don’t know how I’ll do that without your number.”

 

Jenna choked on her wine from the couch, and Marley turned to her friend who waved her off. “I’m fine,” Jenna rasped, grinning. 

 

“Uh, sorry. My number, right.” The brunette’s face was more pink than it had been earlier, and she moved to the dining table and grabbed her cell, frowning at the amount of texts she received from her mother. Shaking her head with a mental note to answer her later, Marley headed back to Roman with a weak smile over her lips.

 

“Ready?”

 

Together they exchanged numbers, with Connor and Jenna watching. Roman smiled at the smaller girl and nodded slightly. “Well… I’ll get going now, I guess.”

 

“Y-yeah,” Marley answered with half a squeak. “I’ll walk you out!”

 

Connor moved to Marley’s abandoned seat on the couch as his alpha and his fiance’s best friend walked hesitantly out of eye sight. Dropping onto the couch with a groan, he draped Jenna’s legs over his lap, rubbing her calves softly. The human hummed, finishing her wine to place the glass on the coffee table in front of her, next to Marley’s forgotten glass. 

 

The two of them sat in content silence for a few seconds, before curiosity reared its head. “Did you set this up?” Jenna asked quietly.

 

“No.” Connor was quick to answer.

 

She dug her heel into his thigh. “Connor, you literally called him. I heard you.”

 

He chuckled, grabbing her foot to rub his thumbs up from her heel to her toes. The sound she made at the movement made Connor lick his lips.”I asked if he could help us, since we both know I couldn’t have lifted that table in here by myself.”

 

“No,” Jenna said softly. “But I would have helped. As would Marley.” She nudged him with her free foot. “You totally set this up.”

 

“I didn’t-”

 

“My little cupid, playing matchmaker with his best friend and fiance’s best friend!” Jenna squealed, reaching forward to pinch his ear. Connor swatted her hand away, before moving to crawl over her and kiss her sweetly, shutting her up in the process.

 

Outside of the house, Roman and Marley stood by his truck.

 

“Thanks for helping me, well, helping us.” Marley said softly, suddenly acutely aware of how quiet it was. Roman nodded, smiling kindly at her. She crossed her arms over her chest, unaware that her blush remained on her cheeks, making her skin glow under the setting sun’s rays.

 

He nodded in response. “It was nothing. I wasn’t doing anything anyways.” He fished his keys from his pocket, unlocking his truck. “If you need help building anything or moving stuff, you’ve got my number now.”

 

Marley nodded. “It’s alright. I’m pretty handy on my own.”

 

Roman chuckled, and shrugged. “Just letting the offer be known.” He paused, the intoxicating scent swarming his senses. “I’ve got to get going now.”

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” 

 

He nodded at her question. “I’d stay if my house wasn’t possibly in danger of being burnt down.” There was a teasing tone in his voice that relaxed Marley just slightly.

 

“Maybe I’ll swing by one day and surprise you or something! Since we’re neighbours and all.” Marley replied, eyes twinkling. Opening his truck door, Roman climbed in and nodded at her comment. 

 

“I’d like that.”

 

“Let me know when you get home. I won’t be able to sleep until you do.”

 

Roman nodded, and pushed his key into the ignition. “I will. It was nice meeting you today, Marley.”

 

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Roman." She smiled and stepped back from his truck. "Drive safely.”

 

“I will.” Roman closed the door once the truck rumbled to life, drenching the house in his headlights. He pressed his window down as he closed the door, looking out and down at her with that same kind smile. “Goodnight.”

 

Marley blushed, and beamed back at him. “Goodnight.” 


	5. if the heavens ever did speak

It was the following Monday. 

A few days had passed since Roman, Jenna and Connor had swept into Marley’s life, impacting it in such a strange way that she wasn’t sure it would ever be the same again. Her house was settled, she had some groceries being delivered to the house just earlier that morning, and she felt like she finally belonged in her grandparents old place. It was no longer her grandparents house, but her’s. Connor and Jenna remained at her place until the end of the weekend, with Jenna often hinting at staying longer at one of the local AirBNB’s. They were quick to peer into Marley’s clear interest of Roman, with Jenna eagerly hoping to sink her fingers into whatever her best friend offered. Connor eventually backed down, but Jenna wasn’t as quick to step back. Marley played her best nonchalant act she could in front of her best friend, to hide how she truly felt, dismissing her feelings as something she would have squealed about as a teenager.

Jenna wasn’t convinced, but by the time Connor managed to wrangle her out of the door, there was no more pressing, asking or begging she could do to get Marley to tell her the truth.

In all honesty, Marley wasn’t quite sure how she really felt about Roman.

Sure, Roman was handsome. There was a box he seemed to fit right at home in, and Marley wasn’t going to lie about it. He was tall, dark haired, dark eyed, and by all means he was still just a stranger to her, but he was an attractive stranger. The only thing that had really solidified any of her feelings towards him was that he had called her that night when he got home, like she had asked. A quick, forty five second call, but a call nonetheless. It made Marley sleep very easily that night, but he was still just a stranger to her. As far as she knew, he would never bump into her again, and she had squandered her only chance at making something happen between them. That thought alone made her chest ache.

Marley leaned her elbows on the kitchen table, her abandoned bowl of cereal to her left with her phone in her hand. The morning sun cascaded into the room, flooding it with a rich warm light that teased the perfect summer day outside. The lull of the warm sunny rays had Marley anxious over the powerful, mobile device in her hand. She was scrolling absentmindedly through her recent calls list, eyes not really focused on the names as she went back to Friday night.

Over the weekend, her mother had called, texted and left countless voice messages on her phone. At one point Jenna had made the attempt to answer it, but she had her hand slapped and had the phone knocked from it. 

There was no room for her controlling mother here in Washington state.

There was no way this blonde girl wasn’t going to give up an ounce of her new found freedom because someone in El Paso needed to be in control at all times. So, Marley had ignored most of the calls, listened to the messages and deleted them. Nothing that screamed important, nothing that screamed emergency. The majority of the messages were simply her mother scolding her from El Paso, Texas. ‘Call me when you receive this message, Marley.’ ‘Let me know you’re alright, Marley.’ ‘Marley don’t make me call the park rangers to come check on you! Answer your phone!’ Running a hand through her hair, Marley sighed and tapped on her mother’s number in her recent call list, pressing the phone to her ear as she pushed her empty cereal bowl to the side.

Obviously, her mother answered at the first ring.

“Marley Rose!” Her mother trilled on the other line, making the girl lift her phone away from her ear. There was a pause, before her mother continued to rant. “I have called, and texted and called over and over, and you can’t answer a single damn text? You couldn’t be bothered to call me back? How could you?”

“Hi Mama,” Marley answered sourly, biting the corner of her lip. “I made it to Gran and Grandpa’s alright.”

“I didn’t know that, because you never answered your damn phone!”

“Mama,” Marley sighed, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. “I’m sorry, I’ve been busy unpacking and moving furniture,”

“You’re never busy enough for your mother.” Snapped her mother, making the girl’s stomach twist in an uncomfortable knot. Of course, she was never busy enough for her mother, but that was never reciprocated. Her mother had worked all of her childhood, leaving her in the care of barely older than her babysitters who napped on the couch while she did her homework. The brunette lowered her gaze, and picked at the piece of extruding wood from the table, hoping to break it off while her mother continued to speak. “Have you called your new boss yet? I was thinking about doing that for you, since I have no idea what you’re doing over there.” The sharp snap of a lighter, the hiss of a cigarette being lit. “Have you gotten any groceries? How about the water, is it still running brown first before it turns clear?” Her mother was barking orders from hours away.

“Mama, if you can give me five minutes to explain why I haven’t answered your calls,” Marley tried again, this time getting up from the table to pace the length of the kitchen. It was her frustration talking; she didn’t like to be set in one place while her emotions ran high. 

Her mother stopped talking, and held her breath before releasing it in a huff. “Are you sitting down? I don’t plan on making this call a five minute thing.” Of course. Why would she be able to jot it up and tuck it into a neat little package for her mother to unpack all for herself? Marley stopped her pacing, took a few seconds to ease the anxiety in her chest, and moved to sit in the chair she had abandoned at the start of the call. Her mother took another drag from her cigarette, and the blonde touched the wood of the table, looking to ground herself before her emotions ran high and unchecked.

“I got here on Friday morning.” Marley started. “I unpacked a bit, and then Jenna and Connor surprised me on Saturday.” Talking to her mother felt strange; she had never really been one to share those details with her before. The brunette had tried many times in her teenage years, but her mother had often been too busy to listen. Too busy with work. Too busy with her boss. Too busy having a social smoke with the neighbours. Marley was constantly being brushed off, dismissed by her mother. Now that she was states away, her mother seemed far too interested in her life. “I met one of Connor’s friends too.” The girl tested the waters, picking at the protruding piece of wood.

“Oh? What’s her name?” Asked her mother, already sounding disinterested. Naturally, the tone made the girl roll her eyes. It was something she had heard most of her life.

“Roman.” Marley answered with a snap, knowing she probably should have just let it go.

The phone clattered from her mother’s hand. Marley pulled her own phone away while her mother gasped, huffed and muttered under her breath. By the time her mother had picked it back up, she was already knee deep in regret for calling her back. “Roman?” Her mother squeaked into the phone.

“Yes, Mama.” Marley answered, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Roman.” She repeated, as her mother coughed on the other line. There had never been such a reaction about meeting a boy before. “He’s Connor’s buddy. He helped me move in.”

There was suddenly a silence on the other line. Marley bit her lip. The phone was still connected, but there was no noise. “Mama?”

“What’s his last name, Marley?” Her mother asked with a snap.

She shrugged, not understanding why a last name would be so important. “I didn’t ask him, and he didn’t tell me.”

“If he comes around again, ask him if it’s Reigns. I have to go, Marley Rose. Please call me again tonight, I love you.” With that, her mother hung up, leaving the girl to think about what her mother had said. She put the phone on the table and stood, snatching her bowl up to walk to the sink, turning the tap on slowly to give the pipes an easier time to move the water out. As the tap ran, Marley looked out the window over the sink, not so much watching as she was just glancing out at the treeline. She hadn’t been out to the park in years. Maybe she would go back out tonight.

Once her breakfast dishes were done, Marley leaned against the countertop. After the conversation with her mother, she felt entrapped and suddenly very anxious to be in the same four walls her grandparents had been in. She went back to the table, picked her cellphone up and opened it up to he text inbox, hesitating over the drafted text she had written up when she was feeling much more confident in herself.

‘Hey Roman! It’s Marley- do you have time to meet up for lunch at Kreuger’s?’

She sighed, and clicked the home button, setting her phone back down on the table as she rubbed her eyes again. Washington wasn’t like Texas. She didn’t miss the sweltering heat or the casual racism that seemed to poke its head out whenever things seemed to have been settling down. Marley didn’t miss El Paso and any of its half-hearted offers, or any of its misguided attempts at smothering her and what she wanted. 

She had to get out of the house. If she spent any longer in it she may just lose her mind a little bit.

Marley changed into some comfortable clothes - that weren’t pyjamas - and decided she’d go for a jog. There were a few trails that weren’t owned by the park, and Marley had used one or two of them as a teenager when she was visiting her grandparents. She slipped on her ratty sneakers, grabbed her off-brand earphones and browsed to a public running playlist. She ran best when she wasn’t thinking. Grabbing her keys, she stuffed them down her pocket, checked her phone for any sign of a message from Jenna (or Roman, but she wasn’t really expecting a random message from a guy she’d only met once) before she headed out the front door.

It was simple to get back into a routine.

Jogging was a sure fire way for Marley to calm her nerves and to center herself again.

It had started first when she was young; thirteen at the most. Her mother - obviously, who else? - had brought such an emotional upheaval in her already turbulent mind, that she had taken off. Gone running. It had started first as just to run away. Marley wanted to leave her mother and never look back. She couldn’t keep up the pace, and the deadset run had turned into a jog. There she had more control, and she could focus on her breathing, she could focus on her feet. There was no room for her feelings, for her thoughts. It was just left right left right breathe in left right breathe out. 

By the time Marley had made her way back home, the frustration of the situation had all but melted away and she was ready to face her mother and talk about the irritations that had caused them both to blow up at one another.

Marley tucked her earphones into her ears, scrolled to one of the songs on the playlist she had found, and played it. She pushed the volume up to a comfortable level and stretched, listening to the wordless music. With the beat setting the tempo, the blonde headed onto one of the trails that backed onto her grandparents - no, onto her property - and began to jog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the Kudos and the comments! I apologize in advance for the super long wait between chapters; hopefully this won't be the case again. Thank you for reading!


	6. she's the last true mouthpiece

Marley stopped jogging.

She reached for the tree she wanted to lean on, taking steadying breaths to slow her racing heart down. Jogging cleared her mind, and that was exactly what she needed in this moment. It had been a while since she had pounded the trails that dragged through the forest, and while she thought she had better control over her jogging habits, clearly she was in the wrong. Marley hadn’t really gone jogging since before her move here; the trails in El Paso were usually too busy or too dangerous to go on at night. 

She checked her phone. No new messages, not even one from her mother. Leaning her free hand onto the trunk of the tree, Marley tugged an earphone out of her ear and listened to the sounds of the national park. Birds were idly chirping, and the tallest branches of the trees were rustling in a soft breeze, and somewhere - probably half a mile or less away - was a loud, babbling brook. It was a perfect day to jog. The forest was glistening with the mid-afternoon sunlight. Turning the music off, the woman wrapped her earphones around her phone and tucked it back into her pocket, absentmindedly swiping at the sweat at the back of her neck.

She didn’t bother looking at the time. No one would be waiting for her at home anyways.

Marley felt the first bitter stirrings of being lonely in her stomach since moving to Washington. She had been alone for most of her life, with her father divorcing her mother before her seventh birthday, her mother throwing herself into her work to hold off her own pain. For seven year old Marley, there wasn’t much she could do to distract herself from the heartache of losing her father. She didn’t have any siblings or cousins close to her in age, so she grew up dependant on the friends she made in the neighbourhood or at school. 

Of course, Marley had made friends growing up, sure. Jenna had been there for most of it, but now Jenna had Connor. Jenna also had boyfriends where Marley didn’t. The boys that she ever felt getting closer to ended up dating someone else before she got her chance to ask them out.

The brunette knew that past relationships didn’t matter now, but it didn’t make the bitter feeling in her chest any less. Marley’s mom had her share of not-serious boyfriends after the divorce, too. Who did Marley have? She cleared her throat, shook her head, and started to walk, knowing that she’d soon have to head back home to grab a bite to eat. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she had only had a bowl of cereal a handful of hours ago. Shaking her head, the brunette looked around, squinting as she looked for the sign that would point her back in the direction of her place.

She wasn’t expecting to see Roman there.

“Roman!” Marley gasped, jerking back slightly as she pressed her hand to her chest. The shock of seeing him standing there had kick-started her heart again. He looked stoic and strong, with the warm afternoon sun showing off the angles of his chiseled jaw and strong cheekbones. Marley exhaled hard, brushing her stray hair back from her face. The thought of the man standing there, watching her for however long… it really sent a jolt down her spine. How could he have made it this far so quietly? Granted, her music had been pretty loud. She looked down the trail, half expecting to see someone else come jogging up. A big part of her hoped no one showed up. 

“Roman!” Marley started, shaking her head. She had to face the problem at hand: Roman’s sudden, and quite honestly random appearance on her trail. “Christ, some warning next time would be nice before I keel over from a heart attack!” The woman said, watching the tall, dark and handsome stranger stand there, as if he hadn’t heard her. The intent look in his eyes made a shiver crawl up her spine. His eyes were at her stomach, slowly coming up her body until they met her’s. She caught her breath, and suddenly realized very clearly that the forest had gone silent. The birds were no longer chirping. The trees were no longer rustling. It was just the still silence swelling between them, and all Marley could focus on was Roman. 

The sweaty brunette swallowed, wishing silently that she had brought a water bottle or some spray deodorant. He wasn’t close enough to smell her, but she was positive she didn’t smell like lilac and cottonwood anymore. She probably stunk to the high heavens, and this wasn’t how she wanted the Samoan to see her: with her baby hairs sticking out from her head, her cheeks red and sweat dripping down her neck...

“Roman?” She whispered, aware that her voice would be far too loud in the silent woods if she didn’t whisper. For a sudden, serious minute there was a dark chill lingering in the air between man and woman, something unsettling, something not-human. She ran a hand through her ponytail, fingertips snagging on a knot with a wince. The man didn’t answer, instead his dark brown eyes seemed to warm in the sunrays, turning lighter subtly. The shift in color made the brunette bite her lip, cheeks pinking again at the fact that even feet apart, Roman had a very strong pull over her. 

“Roman, please-”

Suddenly, as if he was spurred by her voice he moved from his spot at the side of the trail, approaching Marley at a clip that would have shocked her if it weren’t for the fact that she felt like she had been expecting it. The woman was frozen in her place at his speed, only moving once Roman’s hands took her around the waist and guided her backwards to the thick trunk of a tree. The coarse bark of the tree trunk that she could feel through her clothing made her bite her lip, and she was sure at this point Marley had not just pink, but red cheeks. Swallowing the lump that found itself in her throat, Marley looked up at Roman’s face, noticing his dark eyes had changed. No longer were they dark and mysterious, but they were honey gold and warm, shimmering under the dappling light of the late afternoon sun. 

“Roman-” 

His lips found her’s with a firmness, and with a weak whimper Marley kissed Roman back, her hands finding his broad chest, fingertips curling against the fabric of his shirt. The tiny voice in the back of her head coaxed her on, reminding her that she may not get this chance again. Take it wherever Roman was willing to give it. She wasn’t going to let him go anywhere, and Roman seemed perfectly content with that. A growl rumbled in his chest and he dropped his mouth from Marley’s to kiss and nip along the curve of her neck. The brunette groaned, pushing her chest out as Roman held her tightly against the tree. There was a needy, greedy vibe that rolled off of Roman, as he growled something against the brunette’s skin. She pushed at his shoulders, panting as she tried to get his lips back to her own, desperate for the feel of his rough beard again. 

Her fingers slipped under his shirt, touching his tanned skin. She whined, his teeth nipping at her skin.

“Mine,” Roman growled, his tone so deep that it vibrated through her chest, lifting his mouth from Marley’s throat, kissing her breathless again. “You’re mine.” Her skin tingled where the male left his mark on her neck, and he gripped her hips tightly. She hoped he left bruises. Marley nodded, pink in the cheeks at his words. “Yours,” she echoed, and tugged Roman in for another breathtaking kiss--

The brunette stumbled, gasping as she tripped over a rogue tree root and fell, scraping her palms and knees as she tumbled. Landing in a messy heap, Marley grunted as she squeezed her eyes closed and quickly mentally checked her bones for any serious fractures. Knowing her klutz-ass she probably broke something in this typical fall. No pain seriously stood out beyond the burning of her palms and the tweak in her calf, so she considered that lucky. Panting, she tore her earphones from her ears and sat up in the dirt, checking her phone for any scratches or cracks. No messages, no missed calls— Not that any of that actually mattered in this situation. Putting her phone in her lap Marley drew her legs up and rested her head on her knees, taking deep breaths to slow her racing heart. 

What the everloving fuck, was that all about?

Lifting her head, Marley peeked at her surroundings, noticing with some disappointment that Roman wasn’t standing on the trail back to the house. Some disappointment, considering she was still haphazardly deciding on whether or not she was too embarrassed to even walk back home yet. Of course he wouldn’t be there, he didn’t even know she was out running! She rubbed her eyes, and moved to stand, wincing as her knees cracked from the fall. Her leggings were ripped in both knees and there were a few runs along her left thigh. Her shirt was dirty, but there were no rips or tears there. She would definitely have to get home relatively soon to get something on the cuts and scrapes she acquired in the fall, a bandage, maybe call 9-1-1... No. She didn’t need an ambulance; she wasn’t dying or half-impaled on a stray branch. With her phone in her hand she tucked it back in her pocket, her earphones dangling and bumping her thigh as she walked gingerly back on the trail. 

Distracted by a daydream. How silly. 

An embarrassed blush crawled over her cheeks and down her neck, and for a solid minute Marley thanked whatever abandoned thought of a deity for the fact that no one else roamed this trail. She could only imagine the talk of their small neighbourhood: ‘Did you see the Saric girl the other day? Fell flat on her face, she did!’ With a stifled groan Marley covered her face again for a few seconds, stalling on the dirt path. That was all she needed, honestly. Back in El Paso she had a bit of a reputation for tripping over her feet. Didn’t matter if there was nothing to trip over, Marley would find herself stumbling over something. She really didn’t want that following her here. 

She dropped her hands from their nervous twitch around her waist (a habit she had developed a long time ago) and started to jog home again, determined to keep her mind sharp and focused on the task at hand, rather than getting lost in a fantasy like she had earlier. A silly, high school-era daydream that would have left her heart a-flutter years ago. Instead it knocked her on her ass and left her palms bloody.

By the time Marley made it back to her house, her stomach was growling for something to eat. Her phone battery was at an alarming 21%, and her palms and knees stung like hell. 

Jogging, clearly, had not been the right choice.

As the dirt turned to a steady mix of gravel and the comforting canopy of the trees broke into the open sky, Marley was relieved to see that she had made it home without much more damage done to herself. The house sat on a slight hill, beckoning her inside with the unspoken promise of refreshingly cool water from the tap. She chuckled at herself, palms stinging as she checked her phone and nearly tripped over her own feet again at the sudden influx of messages and missed call alerts she received once she was on her own property. Five messages from Jenna, two from Connor (in lieu of Jenna’s unanswered texts), a handful from her mother asking her to call her whenever she can, and one from Roman.

From Roman?!

Biting her lip, Marley’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. What was he texting her for? She clicked his message first, heart thumping in his chest as she opened it. 

‘Hey Marley, it’s me. Roman. I’m working down near the ranger station until six tonight. Think it would be okay if I dropped over after the shift to finish my beer?’ 

When had he sent that? What time was it now? Marley checked her phone, gasped at the time, and quickly drew Roman’s text back up on the screen, and thumbed an answer out for him that she deemed would be acceptable: ‘Of course! I’ll leave the front door unlocked. See you soon!’


	7. every sunday is getting more bleak

Getting out of the shower, Roman checked his phone again. He had a few minutes to relax before he would have to head over to Marley’s. It wasn’t like he would have to deal with traffic; the residential street had veered off the main park road a long time ago. He rubbed his stubble in the mirror over his dresser, squinting at himself. There was a building tension in his shoulders, something the shower hadn’t taken care of. He knew this feeling well enough; the full moon was incoming, and the aches were only just beginning. Was going to Marley’s the right thing to do? Dropping his phone onto his mattress, Roman grunted as he reached to grab clean clothing, attentively listening to the noise coming from downstairs.

 

He could hear Seth and Dean banging around down in the living room. 

 

Possibly with Dean on the floor with his old chair tipped over, laughing hysterically at whatever Seth had muttered under his breath. That chair had been knocked over more than Roman cared to admit to. The two knuckleheads were probably horsing around as they played whatever game one of them had commandeered the other into playing. They were lunatics, the both of them. The werewolf rolled his eyes. Most nights, he considered it to be a mistake to give his best friends a key to his house. This wasn’t the first time he found Seth or Dean (or both) in his house coming home from a shift; usually with a stack of pizza boxes on his counter with his coffee maker buzzing for more water. They were roommates who never had to pay rent, and while the house was never in any real danger from whatever crap they decided to get into, there was always a chance the alpha could return home to a smouldering pile of crap. 

 

Roman couldn’t stop the smirk coming to his lips as he pulled his damp hair up into a knot, picking up a plain black shirt and tugging it on as he finished getting ready to meet up with Marley. Even if he was grumpy because of them coming back to his place instead of their own, he wouldn’t change it for the world now.

 

Seth and Dean had both noticed he smelt differently, but neither of them had the chance to pick his brain over it. It was get to work, do work, clock out, and shower. Roman didn’t mind the faint scent of smoldering campfire that seemed to linger to the pair of jeans he had worn to Marley’s that night, but he knew his friends would have questions that he would eventually have to come clean for.

 

His phone buzzed on the bed, but a brief glance over saw a notification for an email. He hurriedly stuffed the slight feeling of disappointment down and out of himself. Sending the text that afternoon to his scented mate had been risky; what if Marley hadn’t answered? Roman had been at work, on one of the two breaks he got for the shift when he pulled his phone out to check his messages. The whole reason he had been prompted into sending her that text in the first place still sat soundly in his mind. 

 

There had been an attempt of a coup at the Tacoma pack; a small group of fifteen wolves tried to overthrow the reigning alpha and his family. No one was seriously injured, and they had rounded up the wolves in the coup within forty minutes of it all happening.

 

They had been neatly taken care of, and it was the first coup in Roman’s lifetime that had really set him staggering. 

 

A coup so close to home? Unacceptable. _Completely_ unacceptable. 

 

It sent a chain reaction through the wolves with his number, and while on shift his phone was blowing up- texts and calls from members with family in the Tacoma pack, wondering what had happened, what Roman was going to do about it, how he was going deal with anything like that while he ruled this pack as Alpha. His father had reached out, carefully reminding him that while a coup would not happen here, he had to always be prepared for something like that to happen. There wasn’t much support offered from the retired Alpha, and It had been enough to send Roman mentally wheeling. For the remainder of the work day, the Samoan had been spinning with a constant stream of what ifs and possibilities he could never realistically see happening.

 

By the end of the shift, the wolf needed space. 

 

Roman needed the headspace away from being alpha, needed to focus on something that wasn’t directly related to being a leader to a pack on the upswing in population, that didn’t leave him feeling anxious and angry that he had been thrust into this position in the first place. Seth and Dean had offered to take him down to Seattle, to club jump the night away like they had when they were younger. Roman gently rejected the idea. Of course, Marley had been the first - and obvious - choice to him, and he had sent the text without thinking too much, his heart thumping in his chest when she answered so enthusiastically. Feeling her enthusiasm had been enough to settle some of the negativity boiling under his skin.

 

Checking himself out in his mirror over his dresser once more, Roman grabbed his phone and a zip up hoodie, and headed out of his room.

 

Stomping down the stairs, the Samoan rolled his shoulders, trying to work out the stiff muscles as Dean came into the kitchen as well, nonchalantly bumping his elbow into Roman’s to snag his attention. “You alright? Wanna crack a beer open and play COD?” The sandy blonde asked, blue eyes bright considering the bags under them. Dean didn’t like playing video games, but he allowed Seth to strongarm him into them, and it didn’t take much to get the shorter male hollering about the game, and how unfair it was.

 

Roman grunted wordlessly as he opened the fridge, a habit he was trying - and unsuccessfully - trying to break. He didn’t need anything from the fridge; it was just nice to see that he still had food in there. Dean walked around the small kitchen island and leaned against it, arms loosely crossing over his chest. Watching his alpha stare into the fridge, the sandy-blond male cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“Roman, you sure this is a smart idea?”

 

“It’s definitely not a smart idea.” Roman snapped quickly, shutting the fridge door a little harder than he anticipated to. The glass beer bottles tinkled inside, shaking from the effort on the door. Roman rubbed a hand over his face, shaking his head slightly. He had told both Seth and Dean he was planning to go over to Marley’s, if only for an hour or two to get his head cleared. He wasn’t expecting to be interrogated so soon about his decisions. “I shouldn’t go over to her place, not so close to the full moon, not when I know she has no _goddamn_ idea that she’s supposed to be here with me, not when I know for a full _goddamn_ fact she’s mundae with no knowledge of our kind and-”

 

He clicked his jaw closed. Rambling wasn’t okay. When he rambled, it was clear he was anxious, it was clear he didn’t really feel alright. He turned away from Dean slightly, cracked his neck, and placed both hands on the counter’s edge. “Marley doesn’t know anything, and I can’t tell her anything about me, or what’s happening in Tacoma. She’s not-”

 

“You should talk to the elders.” Dean interrupted, saying it with such a casual tone it made Roman snort. The blond went around him and opened the fridge, grabbing a beer before he closed the door and twisted the cap off. “Get their opinion about it, see if they’d wanna give you their blessin’ to court a mundae. I’m sure if you mentioned that she’s a Saric-”

 

Roman shook his head, quietly cutting the male off. “I can’t go to them and ask for their permission, they’ll shut me down.” Besides, Roman knew if he wanted to court Marley or not, he would have had to have brought the intentions up with them before seeking her out. “Alpha or not, wolves shouldn’t find their mates in humans. Humans don’t understand. Humans burn everything they touch. The packs are sacred and humans are not to be trusted.” Roman repeated the rhetoric he had been taught from a young age. 

 

Elders generally were retired alphas, living on the original Tacoma pack settlement. They were from both packs and lived as a pack onto themselves at times. They laid the rules down and were the ultimates in judgement- whatever an alpha needed to do for their pack had to be run by them first. The Wynooche pack was one of the few state packs that had an committee of Elders that still approved or disapproved their actions; for the majority of the United States, packs ran themselves through their alpha pairs, without the meddling of Elders.

 

“But you don’t know that for sure.” Dean tested, tilting his head slightly.

 

“I do.” Roman sighed, and Dean was a little shocked to hear the almost defeated tone in the exhale. “Connor wants to see them to ask if he can bring Jenna in.” Roman explained, going back to the fridge to open it. A distraction, as his shoulders pinched in worry for his packmate’s future. “I know they’ll turn him down.” It was a hard fact, one that hadn’t been disputed in a long time. “It won’t stop him from seeing her, and as his leader I won’t stop it, but the Elders will never let me bring a human into the pack.”

 

Dean rolled his eyes. Seth had slipped into the kitchen during their conversation, and was standing now by the coffee maker. He wouldn’t comment while Dean was talking. The last thing the two of them wanted to do was make their Alpha feel like he was being ganged up on. 

 

“Have you thought that maybe we shouldn’t take the Elder’s word for law anymore?” Came Dean’s quiet suggestion, as he took a half step back from the counter, stretching his back.

 

Roman’s skin prickled at the thought. He had been raised by a long line of Elder-ruled Alpha’s, his grandfather was an Elder, his father was currently vying for a spot as well. What would breaking from the Elder’s mean for the pack? What would that mean for his family? That would leave him and his future mate to take control and responsibility of everything. Marriages, pup disputes, land buying, defence- The Elders were the ones who dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s about things like that. Could Roman shoulder that responsibility for the pack? Granted, it had been a thought when he had been deemed Alpha almost five years ago. Shrug off the Elders, take the pack in a direction it had never been in before. Take the hard work of the last five Alpha’s before him and use it to build a better, stronger pack.

 

He couldn’t do that now, could he? Not when the men he had been taught under were a part of the Elder’s circle now.

 

“Roman, your phone is ringing.” Seth said, cutting into his thoughts. Roman heard the soft ringing, and closed the fridge, just as Seth gently underhanded him his phone. 

 

Marley was calling.

 

“Hello?” Roman answered.

 

“Roman! H-hey, I uh, I actually didn’t think you’d answer, hah…” Marley started from the other line. Roman could hear her pacing in her house, probably near the kitchen. The way the floor groaned softly as she walked back and forth across the length of the planks- “I was just, um. I was just wondering if you were still interested in coming over? I just saw the time and I wasn’t sure...”

 

Roman chuckled, and both Seth and Dean watched the tension in his shoulders melt at the sound of Marley’s voice. They looked at each other, Seth with a slight frown and Dean with a smirk. “I got a bit caught up.” Roman admitted, turning to look over at his shoulder at his friends. “I’m sorry. I’ll be over there soon, alright?” Both Dean and Seth heard the drop in his tone, a gentleness in his voice that hadn’t been there when they were talking about the Elders.

 

“Alright! See you soon!” 

 

Marley hung up first, and Roman put his phone back down on the counter before he sighed. There was a comfortable silence between the three males, before Roman pushed himself off the counter, walking towards the door as he picked his phone up again. As he walked away, Seth made a whipping sound with his mouth, and Dean cackled, slapping his thigh. With a roll of his eyes, Roman turned to them and gave his best friends the finger, grinning.

 

“I’ll be back in a bit, don’t burn the goddamn place down.” Roman pointed at Dean, raising an eyebrow. Dean holds his hands up, now matching his best friend’s grin. 

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

“We’ll talk more about the Elders when I get back. I think…” Roman paused, then shrugged. “I think as a Pack we have to join the rest of them, and ditch the old ways. We’ll see.” He looked at Seth, who nodded his agreement, before looking down at his phone. “I gotta go, try not to drink the rest of my damn beer and I’ll be back later.”

 

“Give Marley a kiss for me,” Dean teased, laughing as Roman threw him the finger again.

 

It wasn’t until Roman’s truck had rumbled to life that Seth nudged Dean. “Think he’ll come back home tonight?”

 

Dean shrugged. “Knowin’ Roman? Probably. But you saw how he changed just on the phone with her. The only person who knows Roman’s gunna definitely come home tonight is Roman, and honestly at this point I don’t even think he’ll know until he’s gotta know.” 

 

Seth sighed. “You make no sense sometimes, Ambrose. C’mon, let’s get back to COD. I still got two rounds to kick your ass in.”

 

“Fuck off, Rollins!” 


	8. a fresh poison each week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, I didn't expect such a long break between chapters! Hopefully, this one makes up for all the waiting y'all have done. Thank you to all my subscribers, commenters and readers who have left kudos. You have no idea what it means to me. On to the chapter!

It was an understatement to say that Marley was nervous. If anything, she was extremely anxious, and she knew that much. Her heart was beating frantically against her ribcage, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. The last time she had felt this nervous was just before her first date with the football star on her senior high school football team. Obviously, that had ended a long time ago. She had done the cleaning, dusting, and she had made a quick dinner in case Roman was hungry. There was no way she could eat when her stomach was in knots, both nervous and excited for Roman’s appearance. Taking a deep breath, the brunette counted backward from five. It didn’t help; her heart continued to beat hard against her chest. She had taken the beer out of the fridge, and at some point, while she was deciding between the tall glasses or short glasses, her doorbell rang.

 

Roman was here.

 

“Shit,” Marley whispered, biting her lip as she snapped her attention from the glasses to the door, fumbling with the short glasses to put them up into the cupboard. “Shit!” Her fingers didn’t know how to work; they were stiff but loose at the same time, and- Nearly dropping a glass, Marley slid them into the cupboard. Crap. She couldn’t afford to replace her glassware right now. They clattered against each other as she slammed the cupboard door closed, biting her lip hard as she turned, hands gripping the counter. 

 

Shit! He was early! Or, was she late? Had she lost track of time that easily? 

 

Where was this panic coming from? It wasn’t like he was a complete stranger she had only met once and had talked to for a whopping twenty minutes too! It wasn’t like he was her best friend’s boyfriend’s friend, and they had never met before he helped her move in, right? They definitely had history, right? No. Marley knew her logical side was reminding her that she wasn’t in Texas anymore, and right now in her fluttering nervousness, there was no place like home. 

 

Roman knocked once more on the door, gently and unrushed. Marley stood frozen to the counter, knuckles turning white with the pressure she was using against the smooth wood. He was perfectly normal- he wasn’t some serial killer or anything… Right? Right! Running her hand through her hair, Marley gave herself five seconds to catch her breath. She was better than this nervous nelly behavior she had going on. 

 

For what it was worth, her mama had definitely raised her better than this. 

 

Once her lungs began to work properly again, her southern charm kicked in just a second too late, and she cleared her throat as she answered him from the kitchen. “One second!” She yelled, hustling suddenly to the powder room. She ran her fingers under the tap once she turned the water on, flattening her stray hairs down and wetting her frizzy tips. She didn’t have time to run gloss over her lips, so she settled for thumbing some balm over her dry lips. That would have to do for now, right? There wasn’t much else she could do. 

 

Damnit. Marley thought she had more time than this! 

 

Another soft knock on the door and the brunette sighed, carefully resisting the urge to bite her lip. Her grandmother’s voice sounded in the back of her head: ‘Let the man in, Marley Rose! Don’t keep him waitin’ any longer!’ Taking a deep breath, she went to the door, smoothed her hair over once more, taking a breath, and then opened it slowly.

 

Roman stood there just a few steps in from the edge of her porch, looking dastardly handsome in a pair of dark jeans and a t-shirt. Super casual, nothing too outrageous. He looked perfect, honestly. His hoodie was on his arm, giving her the impression that he wanted to be comfortable. He gave her a soft smile, one that sent her already racing heart a few beats quicker. There wasn’t much he couldn’t do that wouldn’t send her heart a-flutter, it seemed. 

 

“Hey,” He started, the smile slipping slightly as he continued.  “Did... I come at the wrong time?” The werewolf asked her, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

 

“No!” Marley squeaked. For the first time in a very long time, she felt her cheeks heat up with the blush that bloomed over her skin. “No, you’re here at the perfect time, I was just- I just lost track of time, because I’m bad at keeping time, it’s not your fault, obviously, I-” Noticing she was rambling, she swallowed back her words and smiled brightly at him. 

 

A few seconds ticked between them, and Marley noted Roman’s patient look. Once more her heart skipped a few beats; was this man nothing short of a saint or something?

 

“Come inside, I’m sorry I’m all over the place.” Apologizing, she stepped back, ushering him in as she took a step just behind the door so she could close it behind him.

 

Roman’s gentle smile returned as he stepped into the house again, looking around the place as he rolled his shoulders. Marley softly snapped the door closed behind him as he toed his boots off, stretching. There was a comfort in the way he moved, a familiarity that slowed Marley’s thundering heart. It was like he was already comfortable in her space as if he was already used to the way the floorboards creaked under his feet, how the porch groaned when the summer heat sunk into the wood. Marley noticed quickly, that his tattooed skin stretched over his muscles, the same tattooed skin she had touched in the daydream earlier. Fuck. 

 

She smiled at him again and moved to walk in front of him, backward, motioning to the living room. There was no chance in hell she was about to let herself get distracted like that again. 

 

“Get comfortable! Or, come into the kitchen with me, whatever you prefer-” She caught herself, and laughed. “I mean, you don’t ever gotta ask permission to be where ever you want to be,” Marley paused, noticing that Roman hadn’t taken his eyes off of her, that he was watching her every move casually. Suddenly very aware that she felt like she was a prey under his predatory gaze, Roman’s stare was no longer just a stare, but a dangerous warning. It sent a jolt right down her spine, much like it had when she got caught up in the forest earlier. She slowed her pace, biting her lower lip. Time crawled, as the words Marley wanted to say struggled to come up for air from her throat.

 

“Just stay outta my bedroom.” Marley finished, feeling flushed once again.

 

Roman nodded, and slowed his pace, watching as the brunette turned and scrambled into the kitchen, grabbing the beers from the fridge, and the soft tinkling of glass following. He hadn’t meant to come off as intimidating; there was a very nervous vibe in the air. 

 

Was Marley scared of him? 

 

He moved to walk into the living room, acutely aware that this was her space. Her smoky campfire scent drowned the entire room, and it took all of Roman’s willpower not to rush to her and sweep her against his chest to mark her as his. It was a dominating feeling, something he had never felt before. There was no reason he couldn’t… other than the fact that she had no idea he was a werewolf. Roman fought against the balloon of disappointment swelling in his chest. She had no idea that mate scents existed, she didn’t know that Roman wasn’t just destined to be her mate, but it had been prophesied by his pack a long time ago. Instead, the Samoan ran a hand down his face and moved to sit on the couch.

 

The silence that suddenly filled the empty space between them was much more than Roman was expecting, and he was grateful that she picked up on it too. 

 

“So, how was your day?” Marley asked as she exited the kitchen only a few seconds later, carrying the beers between her fingers, glasses in the other. Roman reached for the bottle, disregarding the glass entirely. He cracked the lid off, and set it beside the glass on the table. Much like before, Marley noticed the way his muscles moved under his skin, the way his fingers pinched at the cap, the way the skin over his knuckles stretched tautly. She cleared her throat, opened her own beer, and took a hefty drink.

 

Roman followed her lead and sat with his elbows over his knees eyes cast down on the wooden floor under them. “It … was long.” He struggled to find the words to keep it casual but found that he felt best telling her the truth. He knew he couldn’t tell her everything, but there were enough mundane things in his day he could tell her the majority of it.

 

So he continued on, taking a sip of the beer in his hand. “Work was tedious. Haven’t had a day that long in a very long time. Had a small family emergency I didn’t expect, either.”

 

“Emergency?” Marley cut in, eyebrows pinching.

 

Right. She doesn't know the pack. He shook his head, smiling slightly. 

 

“Not an emergency per say, uh.” Roman looked down from her face, to his feet before he looked at the coffee table in front of them. “I got a call from an old family friend, saying that their property had been trespassed on, and maybe thought I should go over there and give it a look over.”

 

Marley took another drink, the bottle cold in her hand, looking away from Roman when she spoke. “Did you?”

 

Roman shook his head, taking another drink. At this rate, he would be here for another beer, possibly a third. 

 

“No.” He answered softly. He didn’t feel guilty; he just couldn’t go over while at work. “We got it sorted over the phone more or less. We’re all getting together near the end of the month anyway, so we decided to really get to the bottom of it, then.” That was when Roman could square time away with the Elders and have this entire thing sorted, regardless of if his Wynooche pack would stick by their side any longer or not. Noticing that Marley’s eyebrows were still slightly pinched, he smiled, trying to sound less worried and more relaxed. 

 

“It’s a big… family get together more or less. Bunch of old friends from my father’s time running the-” Roman paused, barely catching himself in time.

 

“From his time running the company?” She chimed in a few seconds later. She just assumed Roman worked for his father, considering he seemed to really care about his family enough to be that sort of son. Take on the family business and all that.

 

“No, uh. Not really. Just his old friends from his college days, friends of my mom’s… I grew up with their kids and we’re all just sort of a big ragtag family.” Roman said, nodding as if to reaffirm his lie. It wasn’t really a lie; his dad had gone to college, but not the college she would really believe in. His mother had made friends from her birth pack and had brought them over when she married Roman’s father, adding to the numbers. He took another drink of his beer, and cast his attention back over to her, smiling gently. 

 

“So, tell me about your day. All I did was work.” He chuckled, but he seemed genuinely interested in shifting the conversation from him to her.

 

Now it was the brunette’s time to be nervous. “Well, I went joggin’ today. I used to jog when my grandparents lived here.” She carefully kept her voice level, her thoughts immediately jumping to the daydream, and how close she was to Roman, how warm he felt just a few inches away from her. She took a drink to calm her suddenly racing nerves. “My Gran didn’t like me running through the forest. She always warned me not to stay out too late, or to go runnin’ on the eve of the full moon.” Looking over at Roman, Marley felt her cheeks pink when she noticed his semi-intense stare.

 

“Did you stay with your grandparents a lot?” Roman asked softly.

 

Marley shook her head at Roman’s question. “Mama and I were always just a little too far from them to really make it a constant thing.” She ran her finger over the lip of the bottle, clearly avoiding his gaze. “I started takin’ a bus up this way when I was thirteen. My mama was so angry when she found out.” She giggled as if the memory was enough to spin this on its head. 

 

“They’ve always lived here in Washington state, but as soon as my Mama could she moved out, chasing boys and doin’ odd jobs to get money. Gran always said she regretted not being more strict with her.” The brunette quietly shifted on the couch, feeling the prickles of uncomfort settling along her neck.

 

Roman nodded, and she took that as a sign to keep going. 

 

“Mama moved to Vegas originally to work at the casinos, and then to California to get her surf license or something.” Marley smiled bitterly, unsure of why she felt so content with telling Roman all of this. The uncomfortable prickling stopped, replaced with a throb under her fingertips. “Then she followed the heat south when she figured out she couldn’t surf for crap. First Arizona, then over to Oklahoma when a boy from a band told her she was the perfect roadie, then she settled in Texas.” 

 

There was a beat of silence, where both Roman and Marley took another drink. Roman’s beer bottle clattered with an echo; he was finished his first one.

 

Marley smiled as she continued, the story her mother had told her coming to life again. “She met my dad there. In Texas. Somewhere in Waco, I think. Mama said he was ‘everything’.” She couldn’t help herself, using air quotes around the word. She had never really believed her mother had been in love with her father, because if she had been, she would have made him stay, right? “She got pregnant, he left her when he found out, and here we are. Mama was constantly workin’ odd jobs, and got herself into a bit of trouble with alcohol when I was ten.”

 

Roman reached over when she paused and touched her wrist, his hand moving to cover her own over her knee. “If you don’t want to, we can talk about something else.” He told her gently.

 

The mundae shook her head. “No, no. It’s alright- I mean, if you don’t want to hear it, I can talk about something else!” Marley offered, noticing with a burn in her cheeks that his hand was rough and warm against her skin. “I mean, it’s all really sad, just- really sad, I guess.”

 

The werewolf gave the Saric a smile. “Want to tell me more about your grandparents?”

 

The change of topic made the woman smile a bit more naturally. She didn’t like talking about her mother and her trip down Alcoholism Way. “Let me top you up, first.”

 

Marley stood up and grabbed Roman’s empty beer, taking it with her into the kitchen. She leaned against the sink, the bottle abandoned on the counter as she sucked back a breath. Talking about her background like this had always been something she had reserved until she truly felt … something about the person she was talking to. Usually, it was reserved until she felt like she was serious about where she wanted to be with the other person. Marley didn’t like spilling her guts just to spill her guts. Her fingers tightened around the lip of the sink and she squeezed her eyes closed, willing herself to relax. Roman wasn’t going to head into town and tell everyone her mother was a floozy, or whatever. She could trust him.

 

She jumped when his hand landed gently on her shoulder, catching her off-guard.

 

Roman pulled his hand off her when she jumped, taking a half step back from her to give her space. “Are you alright?” He wasn’t going to tell her that he felt her anxiety and sadness and anger rolling off of her from the kitchen. He wasn’t going to tell her that he had felt the prickling of it all when she first started talking about her mother and had wanted to bring her into his lap and hold her tight, to protect her from whatever she was going through. He settled instead for trying to come off as caring, without being overbearing. They barely knew each other.

 

Marley nodded, smile flickering. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just- I’ll get you your beer, now.”

 

“Marley,”

 

“No, it’s okay! I’m fine. It’s … hard for me to talk about my mama.” Marley explained, walking from Roman to the fridge to get out another beer. Their “She’s... “ Struggling for the right - polite - word, Marley shrugged. “She’s my mother. I can’t hate her, but I definitely hold a grudge about the way she raised me and still treats me.” She passed the bottle to Roman and then brushed past him back into the living room.

 

Giving her a second or two, Roman opened the beer he had been handed and then followed her into the living room.

 

Marley was sitting with her legs drawn up on the couch, looking down at her hands. Roman took his spot next to her, a little closer than before, and put his bottle on the coffee table before he stole a glance at her hands. He frowned, noticing her palms were cut up. 

 

“What happened?” Turning slightly, he reached for her hands, taking them in his. 

 

“I fell when I was joggin’.” A smirk formed, followed by a bite of her lip. “I’m a klutz; it’s one of the reasons Gran didn’t like me runnin’ in the forest, to begin with.” She said, a blush spreading across her cheeks again as Roman inspected her palms. Marley stretched her fingers out, the action pulling the skin over her palm tight, the cuts pinching. She sighed, biting her lip. “I wasn’t paying attention and tripped. I’m fine, obviously, but I’ll be more aware next time.”

 

“Do you jog in the mornings or more in the afternoons?” Roman asked, letting her hands go after a minute more of scrutinizing them.

 

Marley shrugged, determinedly ignoring the buzzing Roman’s touch left on her skin. She had already made a fool of herself more than enough today, she didn’t want to lose whatever dignity she had left at the slight touch of his hand.

 

“I prefer jogging in the morning, I guess?” The brunette answered, looking down at her left hand, noticing that she had opened a small cut near her ring finger. She lifted her eyes up to Roman, noticing that he was watching her again. “I only went later today because I felt like I had to.” She admitted, looking over at him with a soft smile. The call with her mother had left her mind spinning. Then it resulted in that goddamn daydream. Which was the ultimate reason behind her scratched up palms.

 

Roman nodded and smiled at her. “We can go jogging tomorrow morning if you’re up for it. I like to run the trails once in a while, it helps me clear my head too.”

 

“Don’t you have work?” She asked, and he nodded. 

 

“Yeah, but not until nine. We can get up early, I can drive over and we can go on your favorite trail if you got one.” Roman offered. 

 

With a smile more genuine than before, Marley nodded. “That.. sounds like a lot of fun.” She paused, and then motioned to his half drank beer bottle. “But you won’t have to drive over in the morning, because you’re going to stay the night.”

 

He followed her arm to where her hand was, and laughed when he realized that she was motioning to his beer. Marley’s heart skipped again, and she found herself grinning as he laughed, the sound filling the room with an energy she hadn’t felt since her grandfather passed away. The thought of her grandparents meeting Roman made her suddenly feel homesick. There would be so much her grandparents would never experience with her, and Roman was one of those things.

 

“Of course, I’ll stay the night,” Roman replied when he stopped laughing, breaking Marley from her thoughts, smiling brightly at his scented mate. He ignored the quiet voice asking him if this was moving too fast, moving too much. He wasn’t in the mood to sour himself, he didn’t feel like overthinking this beautiful moment between himself and the brunette to his right.

 

“Great! I mean,” Marley paused, the blush she had been battling against crawling up her neck. “I mean I’m glad you’re staying. We can have some more beer then.”

 

“I’d love that,” Roman said, absentmindedly pulling out his phone from his pocket. Marley took a drink of her beer, hoping to calm the nerves she felt buzzing in her chest with the alcohol. It was her turn to investigate him. She watched as his attention zoned onto his phone, his thumbs working carefully over the screen as he typed out a message to someone. Suddenly, the buzzing nerves in her chest were replaced with a stomach-dropping accusation: was he texting another girl? No, he wouldn’t be … like that, would he? Marley narrowed her eyes slightly. He was definitely attractive, and while they had only met once or twice, she had no clue who he was beyond that. 

 

Maybe Roman did have a girlfriend. Maybe he didn’t

 

Roman finished sending Seth the text and put his phone away to find Marley’s gaze on him. It made his chest light with pride. There was no secret in that the Alpha was proud of his looks, and he was flattered that she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him- until he realized she was frowning. His smile faltered, and he tilted his head slightly. The energy in the room had shifted, changed into something else. Something Roman wasn’t all too comfortable with. “Marley? Is something wrong?” He asked softly.

 

Oops. Caught red-handed, the human blinked a few times, looking away. She shook her head, moving to stand, but her smile was strained. “No. I’m gonna get another beer.” Without looking back at him she headed into the kitchen.

 

Roman narrowed his eyes at the spot Marley had once been sitting in. What? What happened? The nervous energy in the air had been replaced with something else; something colder. Had he done something wrong? Said something wrong? Watching her disappear behind the wall that separated the living/dining room from the kitchen, Roman gave her five seconds to herself before he moved to stand, noticing quickly that he definitely hadn’t had enough to drink.

 

Seeking solace in her kitchen, Marley left Roman in the living room under the guise of getting another beer for herself. Halfway there she had mentally scolded herself for not thinking of getting one for Roman, too. She had been stupid, thinking that he was single. The longer she focused on it, the more she felt like she was doing something stupid. The longer her mind obsessed over the phone that he had in his pocket, probably filled with messages and voice messages on his answering machine from a girl Marley would never know about because she had no right to know her and-

 

“Marley?” 

 

Roman’s voice caught her off guard once again as she stood at her sink. Turning so her back was to the counter, she looked at the werewolf - the man - in her kitchen and gave him a smile. “I’m okay…” She said weakly, hardly believing it herself. It didn’t take much for her lower lip to quiver, her emotions quickly getting the upper hand in this situation. Stupid. She was in more control than this. How silly was she being, losing control over a hypothetical girlfriend he may or may not have? She pressed one hand to her mouth, childishly hiding her emotions from him.

 

Roman moved in quickly, standing in front of her as she bowed her head, arms crossed over her chest. “Marley, it’s okay. Whatever is bothering you, it’s alright.” He bent over slightly, trying to catch her gaze.

 

“No, it’s not alright.” Marley whispered, eyes filling with tears as she stubbornly refused to meet Roman’s eyes. “I’m sorry, but I think you should go home.”

 

He bit the inside of his lip. “Marley-”

 

“Please.” It wasn’t so much a request as it was a command. Roman frowned.

 

“I don’t want to leave you like this.”

 

“I’ll be fine.” Back to the half-whisper, her eyes looking down at the floor. 

 

Still frowning, Roman reached for her hand again, fingers circling her wrist. He gently, wordlessly coaxed her from her solitary spot against the counter to his chest. Her intoxicating smoky campfire scent drowned him and he carefully wrapped his arms around her shoulders when she didn’t push him away. His heart was beating hard against his ribcage, as he rested his chin on the top of her head. His senses were flooded with her smell, he could feel his arms tighten slightly around her as she pressed into him. Roman let out a soft breath, holding her close.

 

Marley melted into his embrace, her own arms sliding around his waist as she pressed her face against his broad chest. She couldn’t stop the tears now, and between the waves of feeling completely elated and safe, she felt childish and small in his hold. For a brief moment she felt like this moment in time was perfect. Being in his arms, protected and wanted. She could smell him, cloves and pine needles. It was heady and made her head spin in the best of ways. Marley took the few minutes Roman offered in his arms, calming down enough to lift her head and gently pull away from him.

 

“I’m sorry,” she started, but Roman shook his head.

 

“Please don’t be sorry, Marley. I pushed too much.” He didn’t want to be sent home after this, he didn’t want to lose this progress. He let his arms rest at his sides, while Marley crossed her arms over her chest once more. “I can get my stuff and go, and we can pick a better time to jog.”

 

“No!” Marley was quick to jump in. “No, please. I can’t- It’s not your fault. I was just being… emotional.” She paused, looking up at Roman’s face, catching his gaze easy enough. “I saw you on your phone, and I assumed you were talking to another girl… to your girlfriend.” Marley confessed, lowering her gaze. 

 

“I don’t have a girlfriend.” The werewolf was quick to answer. “I haven’t had one in a long time.”

 

“Then who were you texting?”

 

“My friend, Seth.” Roman answered, already digging his phone out to see the reply sitting on the screen. “Here,”

 

“No, I believe you.” Marley said quietly, the anxious knot once forming tightly in her chest loosening with every passing second. “I’m sorry, I must sound so paranoid.” She let out a soft chirp of a laugh, wiping the trail of tears from her face. A blush covered her cheeks, and she turned back to the fridge to grab another beer. They had drank through the little reserve Connor had brought over, with only two bottles left. She grabbed the last two and closed the fridge, brandishing one to Roman who was sliding his phone back into his pocket. “For you.”

 

Roman took the beer without argument, even though his second one was half drank sitting on the table for them to return to. “Thanks.” He didn’t open it, unsure of what was supposed to happen next. 

 

The brunette seemed eager to get back to the living room, back to her space, and like a puppy Roman followed her as she cracked her bottle open and took a drink. She sat on the couch, and Roman resumed his spot. Marley paid him little attention, interested in the beer in her hand. They sat like that for a few minutes, the silence comfortable enough. It wasn’t until Marley had half-downed her second beer that Roman decided he would test the waters once again.

 

“Would you like it if I went home, now?”

 

“Absolutely not.” 

 

“Marley,”

 

“Roman,” Marley started, looking at him. “You’re on your third beer. The least you can do is finish it, and spend the night. I have a great guest room you can sleep in, or this couch. I won’t let you take your truck out on those roads like this.”

 

Roman didn’t have the heart to tell her that it took much more than three beers for a werewolf to even feel tipsy. Instead, he smiled at her, and finished the half-drank beer before he opened the third one. He raised it, looking over at Marley with a small smirk. “Cheers to drinking with new friends.”

 

Marley matched his raise, touching the neck of her bottle against his. “Cheers to drinking with new friends, and to new developing friendships.” In sync, they took a drink, with Marley finishing her second while Roman downing less than half of his own. They sat like that on the couch together with their beers for a while longer. Conversation was muddled down to answering questions like ‘how old was your father when he started his company?’ and ‘how did your mother take it when you moved here?’ Questions that had simple answers, questions that didn’t peel back their skin to reveal their actual truths. Questions that allowed them to give answers that would let the other peer into their backgrounds without touching it.

 

Marley squinted at the clock on the wall, gasping when she noticed the time. “Oh my gosh, it’s so late!” She got to her feet, wobbled, and sat back down giggling. In the time they were playing a very safe version of 20 questions, Marley had a third beer and half of Roman’s. She was a lightweight; a full glass of wine was usually enough to make her tipsy. “I’ve got to get to bed, if we want to go joggin’ tomorrow mornin’.” Marley said, moving to stand again. This time there was no wobbling, but she wasn’t too steady with her knees seeming like they’d buckle down any minute. 

 

Standing, Roman moved and offered her his arm, grinning at her. Marley giggled, cheeks flush with color. “Thanks.” She said, looping her arm through his as he gently led her to the stairs. “I’m the first room on the right. The bathroom is at the end of the hall.” She explained to him, as he slowly took up stair by stair. By the time they had reached the top, the brunette was yawning, rubbing her eyes as if she could barely tolerate being awake any longer. 

 

“Thank you again.” Marley yawned, turning slightly to look up at Roman. “I mean it, thank you. I needed this.”

 

Whether she was talking about the beer, the confession in the kitchen, or the get together in general, Roman didn’t care. He smiled down at her, and carefully opened her bedroom door and let her go. “You’re welcome. Goodnight, Marley.”

 

“Night Roman. Sleep well.”

 

He waited for her to collaspe into bed before he closed her bedroom door with a snap. He pressed his ear against the door for a few minutes. She was in bed still, but she was tossing and turning. He opened her bedroom door just a little, enough that he could smell her scent as he walked away. He eased into the guest room and stripped down to his boxers, annoyed that he hadn’t worn jogging pants over his jeans. He got under the covers, yawning as the first few tendrils of sleep began to latch, sinking into his bones. 

 

He was asleep before he realized, surrounded by the calming scent of the woman he was already head over heels in love with.


	9. we were born sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm sorry about the huge gap between updates. Real life came barreling down on me, I got a job, I'm working on getting my driver's licence, I'm in the process of the start of moving out into my own place with my best friend next summer (2019)... Had a massive mental health break from this particular writing project, but now I'm back! With the incoming NaNoWriMo season, you can expect more frequent updates... hopefully. As long as my new job is kind to me, haha.
> 
> Enjoy the newest chapter! Thank you again for your kudos, your comments, your hits- it means everything to me. Xo

Marley woke up the following morning with a headache.

 

That was a sure sign of the incoming hangover.

 

Moving her dry tongue around in her equally dry mouth, she mentally reached back to whatever happened the night before, knowing that on some level, she knew exactly what happened. She could vaguely recall multiple trips to the kitchen, a weak sense of complete safety for a few seconds. Beyond that the majority of the night was more or less a blur. She laid against her pillows, and sighed, but she didn’t feel … bad.

 

Last night hadn’t been a mistake; she had simply overindulged with her alcohol consumption versus overindulging in something she wanted to ‘overindulge’ in.  A sinking feeling shook her suddenly.

 

She had knocked back beer after beer to chase the need to kiss who she had invited over, his name ringing loudly (accusingly) in her head.

 

Marley gasped suddenly at the realization, and opened her eyes. As she opened her eyes though, the room lurched, forcing the brunette into a sitting position. She had never been one to handle her alcohol well, why would this time honestly be any different? With a hand clapping over her mouth, the girl silently begged her system not to throw itself into a tizzy. Too late.

 

Oh no.

 

Marley groaned, her stomach twisting up into knots as she ran to the tiny en-suite bathroom.

 

Barely making it to the toilet in time, the Texas native emptied her stomach into the porcelain bowl, coughing as she trembled half sprawled on the bathroom floor.

 

Beer. She always got sick when she drank too much beer.

 

Pressing her forehead into her arms, Marley took slow, deep breaths as she knelt at the toilet. That was the trick; catch and calm your breathing to prevent another round of vomiting. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, counting her breaths as she tried to tame the spinning behind her eyelids. Marley had better mornings drinking straight tequila all night, but beer was a whole other beast.

 

There was a reason she tried to avoid it while alone at home.

 

Once she felt like she was in control, she moved to stand, gripping the counter tightly in case the world decided to tilt too hard again. Making a mental note not to touch beer for as long as she lived, Marley lifted a single hand and pressed her thumb where her nose met her forehead, pleading for a relief from the spinning. Leaning over slightly she made a face as she flushed the toilet, watching as the water choked down the pipe.

 

Turning to face the music, Marley ran a shaking hand through her hair, contemplating if she should attempt to shower or not. Her stomach had gingerly settled, but the room still spun slightly. Squinting against the harsh light flooding into the bathroom, she stared at herself in the mirror, fumbling with the taps at the sink. The pipes that lead down to the main line groaned with the effort, the taps spluttering as if only waking up from complete retirement.

 

Once the water began to run full and cold, Marley splashed some up onto her face, flinching as the water came up onto her still heated cheeks. There was something so instantly refreshing about the action though, and for a moment she held still while the water ran down her skin, sluggishly dripping down her neck. She lingered in the dripping cool water for a few seconds, opening her eyes as she grabbed a flimsy face cloth off the rack and dabbed the droplets off her skin.

 

Still feeling a little too pale for her liking, she pinched the apples of her cheeks, bringing what her Grandma called “natural” color into her face. How much had she drank the night before? How much had-

 

Any color she had brought to her face drained at the thought of Roman.

 

She was instantly hit with a dizzying amount of anxiety, and of internal questions. Was he still here? Did he go home late last night? Early this morning? Did he hear her vomit? Was he feeling sick? Where did he sleep? Questions swirled in her head, threatening to make her sick again. The only way she would get any sort of answer was to go look for herself. Where had he gone to bed last night? Did he sleep on the couch? In the guest room? Did she say anything stupid last night? Did she _do_ anything stupid? Marley groaned, and leaned heavily on her counter.

 

She’d get her answers, through herself or through Roman, if he happened to still be around.

 

Looking out the tiny window above the toilet, the woman sighed, and grabbed her toothbrush. Brushing her teeth, Marley left the bathroom and headed into her room, noticing that her door was cracked open. Roman must have put her to bed last night- she didn’t sleep with the door open. With the knot of anxiety still in her chest, Marley ignored the open door and turned to her bed to make it. She didn’t bother closing it fully; there wasn’t a point. She wasn’t getting dressed anyways. Picking her cellphone up, she brought it back with her to the bathroom, turning it on to see if there were any messages waiting for her. With nothing on her screen, Marley spit the toothpaste into the sink and gurgled some mouthwash, pointedly ignoring the swell of nerves in her stomach.

 

Once she finished with her teeth, Marley pulled her hair up into a messy bun. She had no idea what waited for her downstairs, whether Roman was still over, whether he was sleeping on the couch or awake or-

 

She shook her head.

 

Mindlessly obsessing over it wasn’t going to make it any easier to face the music.

 

Pushing those thoughts out of her head, the brunette determinedly left her bedroom and headed down to the main floor, socked feet padding down the bare wood stairs. The first thing Marley noticed was that the coffee table was clear. She hadn’t cleaned it off last night, she had been half-carried to bed. Her cheeks flushed with color. Of course she had been half-carried; she was a goddamn lightweight.

 

Gently pushing her toes onto the floor, she stood on the main floor and looked around, assessing her damage. There were no blankets or pillows on the couch. That either meant he slept up in the guest room or he didn’t sleep here at all. The thought that Roman had gone home after last night made Marley’s stomach knot up again. Heading for the kitchen, she stopped when she saw who was standing at her sink.

 

“Roman?” Marley half spluttered, instinctively surprised that he was even still around.

 

The werewolf immediately felt relieved when he heard his fated mate’s voice.

 

He had heard her tiptoeing down the stairs long before she had even noticed him at the sink. It was both a good and bad thing, but right at this moment Roman wasn’t complaining. He thanked his extra sensitive hearing, even if he sometimes heard just a little too much with them.

 

Giving himself enough time to remain neutral versus sheepish for being caught, Roman turned from what he was doing, and gave the brunette a smile. “Morning.” He paused, leaning back on the counter. “I called into work.” Roman admitted, waving off Marley before she could tell him off. “I also cleaned the living room up from last night. I wasn’t sure where the coasters go, so I piled them on the end of the table.” He had gotten up an hour earlier than the human, and had used the time to quietly clear the living room for her.

 

He looked back over his shoulder, down at the sink with the sudsy beer bottles. He didn’t know if Marley just recycled them or washed them, but he hated the day old stench of drying beer. He’d figure out what to do with them eventually, he was sure.. She stood in the doorway of the kitchen, looking dumbstruck.

 

Honestly, Marley had never had someone clean up for her like this before.

 

Normally, she was the one who got up and cleaned up after get-togethers and parties. So, waking up to a near spotless living room plus seeing a dreamboat of a man doing it for her? Shirtless?! If she wasn’t already head over heels in love with him, this alone would have done just that for her. He laughed then, at her faint expression of sheer delight and slight embarrassment. “You feeling alright?” He asked her gently, having heard her mad dash to the bathroom.

 

The question shook Marley out of her stupor, embarrassment flooding her system, showing brightly in the flush flooding up her neck. “I’m fine!” She answered rather quickly, and she stepped into the kitchen, immediately going to her cupboard to distract herself. Roman spotted the blush coloring her cheeks, and smiled down at the beers in the sink. He grabbed the dish towel and wiped his hands dry all while Marley rummaged through the cupboard.

 

“Y-yes, I feel just fine.” She repeated herself, as she stared at the meager single box of cereal in her cupboard. She had to go grocery shopping today. There was no more putting it off. Her stomach wasn’t completely fine, but she didn’t feel like throwing up anymore, and some food would help settle that further. She plucked the Cheerios from the shelf and moved to grab a bowl from the drying rack on the counter, before pausing to look at the werewolf in her kitchen.

 

Even after a night of drinking, Roman was still handsome, with his hair pulled up at a knot, jeans hanging low over his hips, his tattoos dark and bold against his sun kissed kiss. The brunette forced herself to look away, heading for the table near the window.  “You can help yourself to whatever you find.” Marley smiled at him, and moved to sit at the table, suddenly aware that her hands were trembling. Roman watched carefully, before he too turned to grab a bowl from the counter and the cereal Marley had.

 

He joined her at the table with the milk that she had forgotten, and two spoons.

 

“It’s not my thing to eat cereal dry,” Roman said with a teasing tone. “But if that’s something you do after a night of drinking…”

 

Marley spluttered, unable to form the words needed to scold Roman for his tease. The werewolf laughed and poured the cereal into his bowl, followed by the milk. Passing the carton over to Marley, Roman watched with a grin as she snatched the carton from

his loose grip, splashing a bit into her bowl before she picked up her spoon. “Shut up, Roman.” Marley snapped with no venom, a smirk forming on her face.

 

The two ate their breakfast in comfortable silence, with Roman finishing first. “I have to go home soon. I’m pretty sure Seth and Dean have gone out of their minds with endless conspiracy theories.” He said it so casually that he didn’t realize in time that Marley not only had no idea who Dean was, but that they knew about her. “They’re the ones that watch my place when I leave. I told you about Seth last night.. Dean’s our buddy.”

 

“I have to go grocery shopping today anyways,” Marley interjected, trying to ignore the sudden flare of fleeting disappointment that blossomed in her chest. “Uhm. Do you know of any cheap grocery stores around here? And uh, if they're hiring anywhere? I don’t start my column for the newspaper for another two weeks.” She finished her cereal, and thumbed the droplet of milk from the corner of her mouth.

 

Roman rolled his neck, and leaned his forearm on the table. “There’s a Value Shoppe half an hour from here?” He stated. “There’s also a Walmart, and a Foodland, but they’re further out.”

 

“Foodland?” Marley questioned.

 

“It’s a grocery store.”

 

“I figured that much!” Marley said indignantly, but like before there was no real bite to her tone. “But… ‘Foodland’?” It was like she simply couldn’t wrap her head around the name no matter how much she repeated it.

 

Roman shrugged, grinning again at her near playful tone. If this was how she was after a hangover, he could only imagine how she would be after a full night’s rest. Back to the topic at hand, he motioned idly. “I didn’t name the place, don’t get all mixed up over it.” He reached over and gently nudged her arm, aware of the same sparking feeling he received like the last time he had touched her skin. “Foodland sells everything grocery-based Walmart sells, but at nearly half the price.”

 

“Ah.” Marley replied and moved to stand as soon as the werewolf had finished. Her arm buzzed from his touch, and she felt vaguely light-headed at the basic, semi-casual contact. She fought to keep the blush from crawling across her face, suddenly eager to get her bowl cleaned at the sink. Roman followed his scented mate, picking his bowl up and crossed the short space to the sink.

 

Standing side by side, Marley was very much in awe of the fact that she hadn’t accidentally offended him over something as simple as not knowing what ‘Foodland’ was. People in Texas hadn't always been forgiving as much as the “sweet Southern charm” had fooled everyone into thinking. But like many born-and-raised, she was from Texas, which in itself had their own culture. They didn’t have Foodland there, or a Value Shoppe. Walmart wasn’t new though, so maybe that would be the best place to go to for food. Granted, her bank account wouldn’t be happy, and she knew if she even thought about asking her mother for money she’d-

 

A hand came to rest gently on the cap of her shoulder, gently dislodging her from her thoughts. “Marley?”

 

It was that same tone from the night before that seemingly crashed through every wall of her’s without meaning to. It was a soft tone, one that asked more than what she was expecting. She blushed, realizing that she was holding onto the bowl she said she wanted to clean. It clattered into the sink and she brought both hands up to her face. Roman kept his hand on her shoulder, gently moving it up to squeeze at the suddenly tense muscle there. It was that squeeze that seemed to push the brunette into speaking.

 

Marley exhaled sharply, and then dropped her hands and shook her head. “I’m okay.” She said dismissively.

 

“You don’t sm-” Roman paused, giving her shoulder another squeeze, barely catching himself in time. “You don’t seem okay. You seem… worried.” He had almost slipped up. ‘You smell worried’ is a whole lot harder to explain versus ‘You seem worried’. Marley let out a croak of a laugh and turned to face Roman, oblivious to the werewolf’s near slip-up.

 

“I  _am_ worried.” She admitted, unable to look the werewolf in the face. “I need groceries, because the stuff Jenna and Connor brought over I’ve already torn through.” She paused, embarrassed that she hadn’t thought about this before.

 

“I just need to figure out where the best place is to get them until I’m settled at my job,” she paused, but hurried on like she had to explain herself. “But I don’t start for another few weeks because they’re waiting on someone’s maternity leave to start before I can get on, and then I gotta talk to them about my payment and-”

 

Roman lifted his free hand, sliding the space between his thumb and forefinger just behind Marley’s chin, coaxing her wordlessly to look up at him. The touch seemed to still her nervous rambling, too. When she finally lifted her gaze, he was met with glassy eyes. “I’ll take you to Foodland,” he started, and barely pushed his Alpha aura when she opened her mouth to protest. “I’ll check in with Seth and Dean before we leave, alright?” He kept her chin in his grip, nothing hard; she could easily move if she wanted to. Marley nodded and gave him a soft smile as he finally dropped his hand only a few seconds later.

 

“Thank you, Roman. You don’t have to do this.” Marley said, moving around the Samoan to head for the stairs.

 

He waved noncommittally, giving the female an encouraging smile. “It’s alright, really.”

 

Turning slightly, still watching her head up the stairs to change properly, realizing he hadn’t really used his skills in a long time. He turned to the sink once she was past the small landing and finished up the dishes, making sure to put the bowls back on the rack on the counter where they had been found.

 

Normally Roman didn’t use his alpha aura on humans; most times they reacted like needy Omegas, eager to please the one in charge and that didn’t sit well with him. Sometimes it was funny watching a so called “Alpha Male” strut around like he owned the place, only for Roman to give him a taste of what a real alpha male is like.

 

The so called “Alpha Male” would crumble against the power of the werewolf within seconds.

 

Which brought his thoughts back to the human upstairs. Marley had simply rolled with it.

 

He smirked to himself, hoping that it was a sign that she was stronger than the typical human, that she was near perfect mate material. If she could withstand his push and not fall to her knees grovelling like most would, then that had to mean something, right? Roman touched the left side of his chest, right where his tattoo started. If she could ultimately hold her own against more of his push, she could truly be the right one for him, excluding the fact that he had scented her days ago now.

 

Fishing his phone out of his pocket Roman sent an identical text to both Seth and Dean. ‘Spending the day with Marley. Call me for any serious emergencies. Should be home late tonight.’ He didn’t bother checking it when it buzzed a few seconds later.

 

**~*~**

 

By the time Marley had finished putting the bags away, and had climbed into Roman’s truck, the two of them had spent about two hours browsing through the Foodland grocery store. It was such a simple thing to do, but somehow, the two hours had flown by. Marley had enough groceries to cover her for nearly a month, and Roman had a stronger understanding of her fierce need to be independent.

 

“Oh, man.” Marley groaned, leaning back against the truck’s seat. She sent a look over to Roman, who was simply gazing at her, an entertained look on his face. She blushed, meeting his smile with a grin of her own. “What?” She challenged.

 

“Nothin’.” Roman answered quickly, shaking his head before he patted his pockets for his keys. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and found her still looking at him, but there was something in the way she flitted her gaze down the length of his arm that made him feel good. Finding them only a few seconds later, he jammed them into the ignition. “You just look wiped. I wanted to take you out to lunch, but if you’re too tired…” He let the question hang in the air. Marley perked up a little at the mention of lunch. He lifted his foot slowly off the brakes, the truck rolling slowly.

 

“No, no. We can go- Roman!” She squeaked, and he was thankfully not driving too fast when he saw the man standing in front of his truck. Slamming on the brakes, Roman glared at the man standing barely a foot from the grill of his car.

 

It was Bobby Roode, the beta of the neighbouring pack.

 

“Roman,” Marley started. “Who-”

 

“Stay in the car. It’s just someone from work.” Roman barely held back his growl as he turned the truck off and climbed out. He slammed his door shut and stomped towards the beta. He caught the change in Marley’s mood, from elated to worried. It only fed into his annoyance with the Beta.

 

He and Bobby weren’t exactly on speaking terms.

 

They had history, to put it plainly. Roman had dated his cousin back in high school, and when he called it off the two males had allowed their testosterone to overwhelm them. The fight had been called off before a winner was officially declared. The Elders had stepped in, and when they pulled the boys apart, both Roman and Bobby were beaten and bloody. No winner had been declared by the Elders as the law stated, but instead they were both announced as victors. Roman had never lived the plain failure down, and Bobby reminded the Alpha that there was someone out there who could easily put him in his place.

 

Bobby sneered at Roman, taking the younger male out of his thoughts. “Didn’t think I’d see you this far from your castle, King.”

 

“What do you want, _voreesek_?” Roman snarled the wolf word for “mongrel”, watching with a curled lip as Bobby flinched at the name. Bobby wasn’t born a wolf, he had been turned. His very human family had accepted him after his accident, but when he decided to live with and become part of the Tacoma pack, they had quietly shunned him and had disowned him. That was public record, Roman didn’t need to date his cousin for that bit of history.

 

The beta didn’t look away from Roman when he spoke. “Is that your intended?”

 

“Yes.” Roman answered sharply. “So she’s not fair game for you.”

 

“Hmm. I doubt that very much.” Bobby said with a matching tone, even adjusting his stance to seem taller than he was. Roman didn’t bother trying to match the man’s height: he was still taller than the Beta by a few inches. “Does she know you’re a werewolf?” Came the stage-whisper, and Roman rolled his eyes.

 

“Not yet.”

 

“Ah,” Bobby chided, shaking his head slightly. “That’s a slippery slope to try and climb later, Roman.”

 

“That’s Alpha to you.” Roman growled then, and pushed his aura out. Bobby grunted, but didn’t bend. The Samoan pushed harder, and smirked when the older male flinched, breaking his gaze to look down between them, submissive. “Say it.” Ordered Roman, eyes narrowed slightly.

 

“Alpha,” Bobby Roode suddenly choked, and Roman withdrew. There was a tense moment, where Bobby simply sucked back breath in order to stand up straight, and Roman forced the muscles in his back and shoulders to relax, before he took his eyes off of Bobby to look back at his truck.

 

Marley watched the two of them, wide-eyed. Not in shock per say, like she had known what Roman had done, but more of a curious look. Like she desperately wanted to know what he had just done. A tiny flicker of worry flashed across his face. Crap. Bobby cleared his throat, and got Roman’s attention once more.

 

“If you two aren’t … settled by the first moon of next month,” Bobby warned, before pointedly waving with a very charismatic grin on his face to Marley. The werewolf waited until she timidly waved back, before he looked at Roman with that same grin. “I’ll take her for myself.” The threat of his scented mate being taken from him immediately set Roman’s jaw, and it took every single ounce of his willpower not to knock the Beta on his ass like he deserved.

 

“I suggest you get into your car and _get the fuck out_  of my way before I drive through you.” Roman threatened him. Bobby’s eyes flickered, but there was no outward change of fear on the older man, and Roman began to push his aura once more. “Come near me or my intended again, at all, between now and when we’re official in the eyes of the Elders, and I’ll kill you, beta or not.” Roman finished the exchange with a finger at Bobby’s sternum, claws extended. If he applied just a breath of pressure, he could puncture clean through skin and flesh until he touched bone.

 

That was when Bobby’s charismatic grin faltered, and he stepped back, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t take threats against my life lightly, Alpha.”

 

“Neither do I, _voreesek_. So heed my fucking warning, and get the fuck out.”

 

Once Bobby had turned his back and walked away, Roman took a few seconds to collect himself and return to the truck. Easing into his seat he was very aware of the suffocating silence in the cab of the truck, and was careful not to look directly at Marley as he turned the engine over. He pulled out of the parking lot and out onto the street before the human said anything.

 

Her touch was cooling, calming against the rage he felt boiling under his skin and lighting along his nerves. Roman carefully adjusted his arm, forcing his fingers to relax, to stop gripping the wheel so goddamn tightly that-

 

“Roman, whoever that bastard was, forget about him.”

 

Just like that, the tension in the cab snapped.

 

Roman let out a bark of a laugh and it caught Marley off guard. She watched him laugh, watched the skin by his eyes crinkle up and he slowed down at the incoming yellow light, stopping as it turned red. For a moment he was simply … carefree. Like there was nothing wrong in the world, or that someone from work showed up and soured the afternoon.

 

His laughter died down and he looked from the road to the pretty girl sitting in his truck and had to physically stop himself from impulsively kissing her, from capturing her sweet lips with his with a hand at the back of her neck and the other on her cheek-

 

“You’re… you’re truly one of a kind, Marley.” Roman said, instead settling with offering his hand palm up for her to take on the middle console.

 

Marley blushed at his compliment, giggling, before she noticed the offer.

 

Blushing more, she naturally slid her hand into his, watching as he simply curled his fingers over hers, like he was protecting her. She saw his eyes light up at the skin on skin contact, and for a small, frozen part of time Marley had the clarity to realize that this wasn’t just “right”... it was perfect.

 

The small gesture made her giddy. She beamed, turning to smile out the window as Roman drove her back home, the altercation between Roman and Bobby temporarily - and quite happily - forgotten about.


	10. you heard them say it

“Roman?” Marley spoke softly, frowning slightly as she blinked her eyes open. She was waking up from the quick power nap she had accidentally taken in the cab of the truck. Roman was still behind the wheel, drumming his fingers lightly on it. The radio had been turned down to a low buzz, barely loud enough to really hear what the singer was saying. Marley shook her head to clear the cobwebs. At some point, she had pulled her hand away from him, probably in her sleep. Already her palm itched for his touch, and she reached her hand out as casually as she could, palm up on the console. 

 

Roman readily slipped his hand onto hers, glancing at her from the corner of his eye to make sure that that was what she was asking for. The contact she offered readily greatly surprised him. It was comforting to him to know she wasn’t going anywhere, that she was comfortable enough to start things at her own pace. He gave her hand a soft squeeze. 

 

“Mornin’.” He said, slowing down to take a corner at a reasonable speed. 

 

Marley yawned again and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. She wasn’t sure how long she had been out for, but it was long enough for her to doze comfortably. 

 

“Hi…” she paused, before gasping slightly, turning a little in the seat to look at Roman. “Oh my God, was I snoring?” She asked suddenly, unintentionally squeezing the werewolf’s hand in her’s. 

 

He chuckled and shook his head at her question, smiling.  “No, but you did say something in your sleep,” Roman admitted. 

 

There’s suddenly a heavy, weird silence in the air. Marley glanced at Roman, cheeks pinking. What could she have possibly said? She wasn’t sleeping *that* long! “What… did I say?” She whispered.

 

It took a minute for Roman to struggle with the smile pulling at his lips. “‘Penguins walk like dancers’.” He recited, the simple sleep-fueled phrase making him laugh. Marley’s face flooded with colour and she groaned, covering her eyes with her free hand.

 

“I hate myself so much,” She grumbled dejectedly all the while Roman laughed. “That’s _so_ embarrassing!” Marley wasn’t as embarrassed as she said; with Roman laughing like he was, it was hard to feel bad about the situation. His laugh was warm and it batted away any real negative feeling forming in her chest. 

 

“I never would have imagined penguins that walked like dancers,” Roman said between laughs. “But thank you for saying it so matter of factually.” He grinned at her, the color that may have faded beginning to flare back up in her cheeks.

 

“Shut up!” Marley squeaked, but there was no edge to her voice, as she moved her hand from her face to look out the window. Huh. Strange; they should have passed the abandoned neighborhood church by now. With a slow-growing frown, she noticed that it didn't look familiar. “Roman?” She asked, turning to look at him.

 

The werewolf shifted in his seat, eyes on the road. “Yeah?”

 

“Where are we?”

 

The muscle in his jaw flexed slightly, as Roman looked from the road to Marley and then back to the smooth asphalt road. “On my street. I’m taking you to my house.” He answered a little softer than he would have if Marley had been anyone else.

 

She felt her eyebrows pinch together. “Your place? Why? I have groceries, Roman, I have to go home.”

 

“I want you to be—” He paused as he took a corner, the asphalt road turning to gravel as the private road would take him straight to his house on pack land. The sizzle of sparks he felt in his veins whenever he passed back onto his own territory was a feeling he never wanted to stop feeling. He took a soft breath before he continued. 

 

“I thought I’d take you to my place for a short while, maybe meet my friends if they’re still hanging around.” Roman corrected himself before he slowed the truck to a stop to look directly at Marley. “If you absolutely want to go home, I’ll turn around right now and take you.”

 

Marley blanched very slightly at his words, biting her lip. She didn’t think that meeting his friends would happen so soon; maybe there was a reason he wasn’t explaining to her. Did he have a fallout with his parents like she did? Was there a reason Roman was taking her to his place that he didn’t want to admit to? Did his encounter with that guy in the parking lot spark something in him? Was the strange guy  _not_ someone from work? Was he potentially dangerous? Was the show out in the grocery store parking lot more than what she saw?

 

Roman felt Marley’s energy shift into overdrive, her anxiety beginning to flutter around him. Thank He brought her hand up slightly and covered it with his other hand, hoping the touch would center her. 

 

“Marley,”

 

“I’m okay.” She answered, the touch of Roman’s skin on hers working the way he wanted. She took a breath and gave him a small smile. “I’d love to meet your friends.” Marley smiled at him, but there was a knot still in her chest. She gave his hand a semi-reassuring squeeze. Roman smiled back at her and eased the car from park into drive. There was a tightness to his smile, it could almost be considered forced. He wasn’t about to tell her that he felt anxious, that he was wasn’t sure how Seth and Dean would react that he was bringing his scented mate into the pack lands.

 

Besides, they would probably smell Bobby on him before they had time to do any damage to the fragile relationship he was building with Marley. They were often labelled knuckleheads because of their “throw hands first, ask questions later” mentality when it came to the protection of their Alpha.

 

Marley, on the other hand, was simply getting lost in her thoughts. There were a million and one questions she was rewording in her brain, each one more damning for Roman to answer. It rubbed her the wrong way that he had simply taken her to his place without asking, hiding it under some cover. Why? She would be just fine at her place; it wasn’t like the man who he worked knew where she lived. 

 

She eventually shrugged that thought off. Roman was just taking her to his house. It was fine. This was fine. 

 

They eventually pulled off the gravel road and onto something more paved. Marley sat up a little straighter in her seat, hand tightening around Roman’s. Wordlessly Roman gave her hand a comforting squeeze as he rode the driveway up towards his house. Similar to the long driveway that Marley had at her grandparents - at *her* - house, Marley half expected to see a modern bungalow slung on the dip of a hill.

 

Instead she saw between the branches of the tree, a two-story sprawling modern cottage.

 

“Roman,” Marley half whispered, eyes widening. How had they managed to build this? She stared at the house as it was slowly uncovered by the trees. “This is your’s?”

 

He slowed further, approaching the house. Dean’s Ford F-150 Raptor sat in the driveway, and while he didn’t see Seth’s Jeep Wrangler, he knew that wherever Dean went, Seth often followed. “Yeah,” He answered, stopping alongside the truck and putting his own into “park”. He looked over at her and smiled slightly. “My grandfather owns the land this place sits on, and he built the original house when he married my grandmother. He promised her a cottage in the woods, and he delivered.” His thumb moved in comforting circles on the back of Marley’s hand.

 

“When they had my dad, they went down to California to see my grandfather’s brother. When they got back two weeks later, the house had been burned down.”

 

“Oh, Roman…” Marley whispered sadly. “I’m so sorry.”

 

He shook his head. “It happened a long time ago. We still don’t know how it happened or who started it. We narrowed it down to either arson or faulty wiring, and insurance wouldn’t cover arson.” Roman’s smile was bitter, his born and breed position of Alpha made him eager to dredge up the past and find the people at fault for burning his family’s house down. 

 

“They rebuilt and raised my father here. When my parents got married, they had originally decided on living on parkland.” He paused, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. “I don’t remember why they couldn’t live there, but ultimately they were handed the keys to this place. My father had the second floor constructed, and between me being born and his retirement five years ago, we more or less rebuilt the entire house.” He smiled then, proud of the house his grandfather and father had built. 

 

It had served originally as a pack safe house, the place where all wolves could come and spend time somewhere safe if they needed it. Then, when Roman was old enough to contend for his place as Alpha, his father had sold him the house for the price of average rent and then commandeered one of the retired pack-houses.

 

“Now it’s mine.” There was a swell of pride in his voice as he looked over the house with a simple, half loving gaze. “Seth, Dean and I built the sun-room over there over the last two years. I’m pretty sure there’s a leak somewhere in one of the corners, but it doubles as a last-second guest room if someone’s willing to sleep with a blanket over the windows.” He said, pointing to it before he rested his wrist on the wheel, half beaming at the house.

 

Marley smiled brightly. “It’s beautiful, Roman. The whole thing.”

 

Roman smiled and looked at Marley at his side. Her scent was slowly filling his cabin. Smoky campfire, and for a minute he simply sat there with his hand in her’s, happiest he had been in a long time. “Ready to go inside?” He asked her, gently squeezing her fingers.

 

The human took a breath, remembering why she was here in the first place. Thankful that she hadn’t bought any dairy (thank you genetics for rolling lactose intolerance), she looked over at Roman and nodded. “No time like the present, right?” She offered, making him chuckle.

 

Impulsively, Roman lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Let’s go.” His voice was slightly lower, but his eyes were shining brightly. Marley was grinning now, her cheeks pink from his actions. She had never been kissed there before, and the way his lips brushed against her skin had her wishing for a little more contact. 

 

He let her hand go first and slid the keys from his truck and back into his jean pockets. Marley opened her door and slipped out, gently setting her shoulders. She was nervous again, but with Roman watching her over the hood of his truck, it seemed like everything was going to be alright. They met at the grill of the truck and automatically linked their hands together, Roman pulling Marley in closer as he walked her up the path to his house.

 

“What are they like?” Marley asked in a small voice. The werewolf shrugged, tilting his head slightly. 

 

“I … don’t know if I can tell you that without being biased.” He answered honestly, a smirk tugging at his lips. He couldn’t stop smiling; with her hand in his he simply felt right. He felt like there was nothing he couldn’t face, nothing he couldn’t take on with his bare hands as long as she was by his side. It was empowering, dazzlingly so.  

 

“You told me just a few days ago you were worried about them _burning your house down_.” Marley reminded him, and Roman grinned, chuckling.

 

“That I did.”

 

They approached the front door, and while Roman could hear them talking quietly, Marley could only hear her own heartbeat frantically beating against her rib cage. She took a breath and tried to calm it down. Roman softly slipped his hand from her’s and opened the door, ushering her inside. 

 

“Guys?” A beat. “Seth, Dean? I’m back.”

 

Marley was immediately impressed with how clean the place looked. She had seen and experienced her fair share of bachelor pads living in Texas (but that’s another story for another time), but Roman’s place - from where she stood - looked impeccably clean. Suddenly there was a commotion from the far right room; a male with shaggy sandy hair looked out before he was joined by another male with darker chestnut colored hair. They were both slight wide-eyed, staring at _her_.

 

“Seth, Dean,” Roman addressed them as they walked out of the far back room and towards them. “This is Marley.” He felt the surge of “protect, protect, defend” swell in his chest at the sight of his friends. The very same wolves that could take his fated mate away from him. They must have felt it too, because they stopped a little far from the pair, watching them.

 

Marley’s face flushed. The two men standing there were very attractive; of course Roman attracted similar people. Swallowing the lump in her throat she smiled at the two of them. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you two.”

 

Seth broke the silence first, stepping into Marley’s space as Roman tensed up beside her. “I’m Seth Rollins.” He said simply, giving the human a soft smile.

 

The one with shaggy hair strutted up beside his buddy and gave him a shove out of the way. “Dean Ambrose, and the pleasure is all mine.” He took her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles.

 

“Dean.” Marley wasn’t sure who had called his name, but he released her hand and she stepped back, closer to Roman, who gently touched the small of her back. Seth was looking at Roman, while Roman was staring at Dean, who simply raised one shoulder in nonchalance. 

 

There was a suffocating silence, and the human cleared her throat, desperate to get the pink out of her cheeks.  “I’m … going to find the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” She said softly, turning to smile at Roman before she started to walk away. 

 

Seth turned to watch her as Roman approached Dean. “Down the first hallway, second door on the left.” He called after her, and she lifted a hand in acknowledgement, but didn’t turn around. There wasn’t anything he could do anyways; the last thing he wanted was to ruffle any more of Roman’s feathers. Or fur. 

 

When Marley was out of sight, Roman slapped Dean upside the head, eyes blazing. “What is the matter with you?” He hissed. 

 

Dean puffed his chest out, meeting his Alpha’s eyes easily.  “I was introducing myself.”

 

“Get the fuck out of here.”

 

“I was! Ain’t you ever heard of chivalry?” Dean challenged, eyes shimmering.

 

Roman narrowed his eyes. Dean was obviously teasing, there was a glint in his best friend’s eyes that had been there the whole time. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case for his amped up emotions; between Bobby verbally threatening to take Marley away less than an hour ago and Dean making a physical move on his mate, Roman was one wrong look from ripping someone’s throat out. The tension in the room was palpable, and Seth cleared his throat.

 

“Roman,” Seth gently said, moving to stand somewhat between him and Dean. Separation would be best at this exact moment. “Tell us what Bobby said.”

 

That seemed to sober Roman up just as quickly as Dean had pissed him off. His shoulders tensed and he rolled his neck. Texting Seth while Marley napped had probably been the smartest move of the day for him. “He said if Marley and I weren’t official by next week in the eyes of the Elders, he’s going to take her from me.” 

 

Dean actually growled that time, a low, threatening sound that could have been a snarl if they had been somewhere, anywhere else. Roman felt his skin prickle at the sound. 

 

“I will peel the goddamn skin from his body if he even thinks about trying it I swear-” Dean growled, and Roman nodded, agreeing to every word his best friend spat. Seth ran a hand over his face and for a brief second his eyes flickered to a cream gold color, before returning to the hazel it was. Dean moved, stalking into the kitchen. There was a sound like a door snapping closed, and Roman forced himself to relax, to snap the tension in his shoulders as Marley turned the corner.

 

“Hey, what’s going on?” Marley asked, noticing the tight lines in the men’s faces as she approached them. Seth and Dean both moved, giving their Alpha’s fated mate space. Marley simply thought they were being polite in the man’s house. Roman forced a light smile onto his face and reached for her hand, only stalling when he noticed her staring at him. 

 

Dammit, she was already noticing things about him.

 

The werewolf shrugged a shoulder at her. “Nothing, I was just talking with Seth and Dean.” Roman told her softly, motioning to the two men now standing at the end of the kitchen island. Dean was busying himself with his phone while Seth casually watched the conversation, drinking some coffee. Beyond the fact that this seemed to be normal, there was a calm feeling in the air. It was enough to keep the human’s nerves from frenzy-ing themselves up. 

 

Marley bit the corner of her lip slightly, looking at the other men before she looked back at Roman. She reached for his hand, touching his fingers with her own before they slid between his. The sensation of holding his hand was nothing short of amazing, and it lit soft sparks along her nerve endings. Between the calming feeling that flowed through her and now Roman’s gentle hold on her fingers, the female felt right at ease. 

 

“I know it’s barely dinner,” Roman started, moving to walk her further into the kitchen. “But I was wondering if you’d like to spend the night? Seeing as I did at your place.” He had pulled her away from the doorway, away from the windows that could look into the hallway. Seth had noticed it, but Dean was now officially engrossed in whatever was going on on his phone screen.

 

Marley smiled, squeezing his hand gently. “I can’t.” She told him. “I have groceries in your truck, remember? I gotta get home to put them away.”

 

Roman’s eyes lowered slightly, before he lifted them to look at Marley. “We can keep them here, I have the space until you’re ready to go tomorrow-”

 

“Roman, I’d love to, but I can’t.”

 

“Stay for a little while then, so Seth and Dean can get to know you better.” Roman half pleaded, loosening his hold at Marley’s soft tug. “We’re going to be busy at work for a few days, so who knows when we’ll be able to meet up again.”

 

Marley shook her head, smiling. “I’ll text you, and it’s not like we live too far apart from each other.” She paused, then brought her free hand to cover Roman’s, smiling up at him. “Just text me back whenever you get a spare second at work, or when you get home so I know you’re okay.” She told him, and against the sudden drop in his stomach the werewolf nodded. She wasn’t staying. She was going to be in danger if she left. He had to protect her, he had-

 

“I’ll drive you home, Marley.” Seth spoke up, feeling a touch of Roman’s anxiety barreling through the air. Dean had shifted in his place, as if ready to jump at any moment’s notice. It seems Roman had everyone on edge again. “Dean wants to talk to you about his shifts,” Seth said offhandedly to Roman when the Alpha moved to speak. “I’ll take Marley home, help her with the groceries, and then I’ll be back, alright?.” 

 

Marley narrowed her eyes slightly, before she looked up at Roman. “I’ll text you once I’m home, okay?” She offered, and moved to squeeze her fingers between the fingers on his other hand.

 

The motion made Roman’s heart swell, and for a second he simply wanted to tug her arms up around his neck and kiss her until she couldn’t stand. Instead he settled for a tight nod, and brought her left hand up to kiss the skin on her knuckles much like Dean had. “Let me know.” He looked past her then, to look at Seth. Something passed between Alpha and Beta, something Marley didn’t know, before the other male nodded and motioned for the human to follow him.

 

“I’ll talk to you later,” Marley said, waving then to Dean, who was still staring down at his phone in his lap.

 

“Bye Marley.” Roman called after her, walking to the mouth of the kitchen. Seth was talking in a low tone to his mate, and for a brief second he wondered if Seth had smelt anything from Marley. Two wolves could scent the same mate, and while it was a very rare occurrence, it had happened before, and with Seth being one of his best friends, he wouldn’t be surprised if Seth smelt something too. The thought of his mate being a target not just for one wolf but for two made Roman growl low in his throat.

 

Seth - all the way at the front of the house - turned and looked back at Roman’s growl. Marley was already out the front door, so Seth simply shook his head and carried on.

 

“There’s no need for that shit, Roman.” Dean chided from across the kitchen island. The front door clicked shut and the werewolf dragged his hand down his face, leaning his hip heavily against the kitchen island as Dean put his phone away. The sandy blond male smirked and swaggered over to where his Alpha stood, and playfully punched him in the shoulder.

 

“Tell me whatever you can about the brush in with Roode.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With NaNoWriMo officially upon us, and with two "stories" active on my dash (let's be real I shouldn't /really/ count the Kinktober story as a "story" but tomato tomato), I'll be splitting my daily word counts between them, maybe more depending on what sort of mood I'm in. Enjoy the chapter!


	11. my church offers no absolutes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the jumping around; I had two plot-heavy points I had to nail in this chapter before I could move on. It shouldn't happen again! :D

Seth drummed his thumbs along the steering wheel of Dean’s truck, the radio permanently stuck to a station that probably relied on Dean’s active audience. He remembered wondering why Dean never listened to anything actually popular on the radio, being bold and drunk enough one night to ask. The other Beta never really answered him, simply said that the truck didn’t have a working radio, and the volume control worked just fine if it bothered him.

 

Why in the Hell was he listening to this backwoods, thriller-sage podcast station for anyways? Didn’t he have enough on his imaginative plate? 

 

Taking the keys had been easy enough. Dean wasn’t as observant when it boiled down. Seth had swiped the keys off the counter when he offered to drive Marley home, and it wasn’t like he desperately needed to ask for permission anyways- Dean would let him take his truck without thinking twice regardless. He and Marley had hauled the groceries from Roman’s truck to Dean’s, and once she had inside the cab safely, Seth turned the engine over and began to back out of the driveway.

 

He would never get used to the crackle of the territory line over his skin.

 

Between the protected packlands and the Tacoma pack lines, Seth was in typically dangerous territory. No-man’s land. Anything happened here, and it couldn’t be policed by either pack. Roman had made claim to this small section of it in order to protect his growing back, but the Elder’s never made an unanimous decision on it, and so it was left to No-Man’s Land.

 

There was a silence in the truck’s cab that made Seth feel slightly nervous, wondering if he had done or said something wrong in the house. Now would be the time to figure that out. “So did you move in alright?” Seth asked casually enough, clocking the truck from reverse into drive. The wheels spun in the gravel at his heavy foot, but Marley relaxed against the seat as if this was nothing new to her.

 

Good. She would have to be willing to adapt if she was ever going to survive this lifestyle. 

 

She nodded at his question, shrugging. “There are still some boxes I have to really sort through. Y’know the ones where you just desperately shove anything into so you can get out before the landlord sells it off? But the move here was fine, nothin’ came broken or damaged thankfully.” Marley glanced over at Seth. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would give his landlord even a second to do that to him. But he nodded along, hands relaxed along the wheel. Marley looked down at her palms, skin buzzing from where she had held Roman’s hands, where his lips had brushed along her skin.

 

“If you need help clearing shit out, let me know. Dean knows a guy who knows a guy who can remove bulk trash for free.” Seth offered, turning the wheel to follow the curve in the road. “You can let Roman know, I mean. He’ll let … me and Dean know.” He faltered then, hands tightening on the wheel. He wasn’t this awkward usually, but he felt like he had to make a good impression on his Alpha’s mate. That, and if she did want to be a part of the pack, he’d have to at least be civil with her. The last thing he wanted to do was end up on the outs because his Alpha’s mate couldn’t tolerate him.

 

“Thanks Seth.” Marley said softly, smiling at him. He grinned back at her, the slight awkward feeling disappearing. 

 

She pointed to the crooked tree that marked the start of her grandparents house. “Just beyond that tree is the side road that’ll take us up to my house. The tree has really grown its roots out, so just be aware when you drive over it, not to drive too slowly. You could get stuck.” She grinned, remembering the first time her mother had let her drive over the tree roots. They hadn’t been as bad as they were now, and Marley could remember the startled yelp she had let out when her mother’s little two-door tin car got stuck in the roots.

 

Seth chuckled. “I think Dean’s truck can handle it well enough.”

 

They drove a little more, the werewolf slowing down as he took the soft curve in the road. “So, why did you move out this way? I thought you were from the south or something.”

 

Marley shook her head, smiling. “I was born and raised in Texas,” she let her drawl come out, and Seth grinned more. “But my mom moved around a lot. We got back to Texas and stayed there. We moved around within Texas a fair bit, though. Mama could never really hold a place down until I was old enough to work and go to school.” She paused, shifted in her seat, and pointed to the lane to Seth’s left. “That’s the road.”

 

Tugging the wheel the beta turned the truck down the road, immediately thumping over the bumpy roots. “Fuck!” Seth cussed, but Marley simply laughed loudly, looking over at the brunet with an “I told you so” look on her face. They made it over the roots, and Seth drove with a little more caution up the road to Marley’s grandparents’ place, noticing immediately that there was definitely a ward of some kind wrapped around the property.

 

Of course, Marley probably didn’t know that, but it made Seth happy to know that his best friend’s girl would be protected under their pack land laws.

 

He pulled up just short of Marley’s car’s bumper and killed the engine. “I’ll grab your stuff,” He told her, slipping out of the truck. Marley nodded, and climbed down from the lifted truck and wandered up the stone path and up the crooked steps, fishing her keys out of her purse. 

 

Seth soon followed with the bags of groceries on either arm, barely looking like they weighed anything. He frowned slightly at the state of the porch, and cleared his throat. “I can come over one of these days and have this looked at for you,” he offered, noticing that he hadn’t moved the bags in some time. He gave them a slight shift. “I do landscaping and stuff on the side of my full time job, so I can definitely do something to fix this porch.”

 

The mundae narrowed her eyes slightly. “I think it’s doing just fine right now, thank you.”

 

Ah, one strike.

 

“I was just noticing that one of the central posts looked like it won’t hold up much longer.” Seth said, and as if to prove his point he took the stairs and walked right where Marley would have walked, listening to the wood groan loudly under his weight. “Hear that? Support system is relying on non-structured points in the porch in order to make up for this spot.” He moved to the right, gently brushing against Marley. “See how there’s no squeaking here?”

 

“I hear you.” Marley said, sighing. She knew the porch was in bad shape; she thought it simply added charm to the house. Instead she knew she was simply putting off a job that needed to be done much sooner rather than later, especially if Seth was telling her so. “How much will it cost me?”

 

Seth looked at her, shaking his head. “Nothin’. I can cover price of wood and of course labor. Maybe some beer? Lunch?” He offered up, and Marley felt the tension spiraling in her shoulders begin to unwind. “Besides, it seems like most of this porch is in pretty decent condition, I wouldn’t have to tear it all out.” He offered, trying to make light of the situation.

 

“I think I can manage that.” She smiled at him, before she pushed her front door open. “C’mon in. Set the bags on the kitchen table, it’s right near the back of the house.” She toed her shoes off and visibly relaxed once she was in her own space. Seth shuffled into the house, kicking his own boots off too where she had her’s, and carried her groceries into the kitchen. He set them gingerly on the table, before he started to take them out of the bags and onto the counter.

 

Seth picked up on a lot of things that made him nervous being in the house.

 

For one thing, there were a shit ton of windows. Old windows. Windows that could be easily busted in a famous Washington thunderstorm if she didn’t get them updated. Secondly, she had a massive sliding glass back door that led straight out into the forest. No fence, no defense, nada. There was only so much of Roman’s fading scent that would keep others away. He set the jar of pickled cauliflower down too hard and winced at the sound it made against the counter top.

 

“Seth? You okay?” Came Marley’s worried call from somewhere in the house. That was another thing: the house could easily rival in size for Roman’s! What did she need with all this space?

 

“I’m fine,” he answered her, throwing the plastic bag into the sink. “Just… trying to be helpful.”

 

“Thanks, but I think I can put my own groceries away.” Marley said with a grin as she appeared in the mouth of the kitchen. Seth flushed with color, stepping back from the counter as the mundae took charge of her own space, pushing the contents of one bag out onto the counter followed by another. Seth watched in some awe as she simply got to work, tucking this thing here and putting that thing there. She was very efficient, as if the skill had been ingrained into her brain.

 

Seth thought back about the comment Marley had made about her mother, and felt the keys from the truck bite into his palm. Of course the skill had been engrained into her: her mother had done nothing for herself or her daughter.

 

“Seth, you can go now. I’ll be fine.” Marley said, jerking the Beta out of his steadily frustrating circle of thoughts.

 

He cleared his throat, obviously getting caught hadn’t been in the plan. “I can help put more stuff away, stuff that goes in those cupboards maybe.” He motioned to the sturdy cupboard over the oven, the ones Marley stubbornly had refused to use due to her own height. For a split second there was a tension in the air, but it snapped at the way Marley huffed.

 

She rolled her eyes but there was a grin on her face.

 

“Put the chips up there- those ones. Not the kale ones, I actually like snacking on those once in a while.”

 

**~*~**

 

Roman and Dean were sitting at the kitchen island, silent with beers in their hands. The house felt weird without Seth, and Roman was sure that there was a part of him simply missing, a part that Marley had taken home with her. He missed her, more than he would care to admit to. He ran his nails over the glass, and sighed, mulling over the things they had shared last night. Did Marley move here because the house was willed to her? Did she move to get away from her alcoholic mother? Was there something else Marley wasn’t telling him?

 

The slight bump of glass against the counter made Roman shut that train of thought down quickly, half annoyed that he had become so stupidly involved with Marley’s life so suddenly. He didn’t have time to obsess over his- What was she to him, anyways? His friend seemed too casual for what it was worth, but she wasn’t his girlfriend or mate or-

 

“Next week?” Dean asked for the upteenth time, starting his best friend out of his thoughts. They had gone over the Bobby Roode incident twice now since Seth had been gone. Dean wanted to find the _voreesek_  and rip his throat out for even attempting to approach Roman like that, but he knew he couldn’t. Not if he didn’t want to be cast out from the pack. “He wants you and Marley to be official in the eyes of the Elders by next week.”

 

Roman nodded, knocking his beer back with a grimace at Dean’s tone.  “I think he said the full moon, but I’m sure that’s next week, right? Or at least at the beginning of the week after.” 

 

If there was one thing Dean couldn’t stand about Roman, it was how easily he simply forgot about the full moons. There was one every fuckin’ month, and yet it always seemed to take his Alpha be surprise. Dean grunted his answer: “Yeah.”

 

“Fuck.” Roman sighed, draining his beer before sliding off his chair. He took the empty bottle into the living room and moved to flop unceremoniously onto the couch, one hand coming up to cradle his head. He didn’t want to rush Marley into anything. He wasn’t even sure he could rush her into anything she didn't want to be rushed into. That was just who she was. She called the shots, something Roman wasn’t used to anyone but himself doing in his position. 

 

Dean followed, leaning heavily against the living room door frame. He still had half a beer left, and he was taking his time drinking it down.

 

There wasn’t any tension in the air, nor was there anything beyond silent comfort. Roman was studying his empty bottle while Dean was careful not to disrupt his best friend, but he knew he had to speak up soon before things got too serious. There were questions he had regarding the human, suggestions on how to deal with Roode and his threat against the pack. Instead he settled with being quiet, with being supportive and understanding of Roman’s current struggle.

 

Dean was grateful his best friend was Alpha. If anyone could handle this paramount of stress, it would of course be Roman Reigns.

 

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, contemplating between getting another beer for Roman or getting the whiskey out. Whiskey to celebrate, to mourn, to devise a plan that would send Roode packing and bring the Tacoma pack closer to theirs. Something instead of this … sulking. Instead of saying or offering anything productive, he decided to stick his foot in his mouth.

 

“Do you love her?” Dean blurted out, moving then to stand in the room versus between it.

 

Roman jerked his head up at Dean’s question. “What?”

 

“Do you love her? Marley.” The beta shrugged, waving a hand half-heartedly towards the front door. He didn’t stop to give Roman a chance to fight him on it. “You two came in lookin’ like someone caught you making out in the back of your truck, and I know you better than you think.” He said, and eyed the Samoan. 

 

Roman chuckled tiredly, running a hand down his face, stubble scratching along his palm. A question he didn’t think he’d have to answer by his best friend. Leave it to good ol’ Dean-o to ask a question with that much power.  “I… I don’t know.” He answered honestly.

 

“You _don’t know?"_  Repeated his beta. The werewolf sighed, and shrugged.

 

“I feel something, Dean.” Roman explained, half squirming on the couch as if trying to get comfortable. He wasn’t sure how to really express this, and until he was able to sit down with his father about it, he didn’t think he really owed anyone a proper explanation.

 

“Whether that’s because I spent almost 24 hours with her or because of her damn scent or because I really just *like* her, I don’t know. I definitely feel something for her though, whatever that may be.”

 

There was silence, as Dean brought the beer up to his lips and drained it empty, smacking his lips together afterwards. “I think you love her.” He declared, and moved swiftly from the doorway and into the kitchen to fetch another beer for him and his best friend.

 

Roman grinned into his hands. He decided that for tonight and tonight only, he’d let Dean be right.

 

**~*~**

 

Marley had ushered Seth out of her house about an hour after he had dropped her off. She didn’t see him get into the truck or hear it rumble to life, but she was sure that was because she was busy keeping herself busy from thinking about Roman. There wasn’t much she could do beyond scrub everything down. Roman’s smell seemed to cling to everything: pine needles and cloves coaxing her to relax and to drop the tension from her shoulders. She had a house of her own to look after now. She couldn’t become lazy and dependent on her friends to help her clean.

 

Instead she got out her favorite cleaning supplies and got to work.

 

Seth made sure he was sitting in a spot that the human wouldn’t catch him. Sure, this wasn’t his duty; he didn’t have to sit watch over Marley’s place until he was called back home. Sure, he didn’t have to strike up a friendship with a woman that could potentially break his Alpha’s heart if she rejected who he was. If she rejected what he was. Seth was worried. Roman had been dealt a similar hand barely three years ago with a woman who had come down from Canada.

 

She had been everything Roman thought, everything except for her scent. He couldn’t smell her; there wasn’t anything distinctive about her. Instead of calling it a red flag like everyone else had, Roman had brushed it off. After a long month of back and forths and conversations, Roman brought her to the Elders one night, and after he had explained everything, after he had sworn to her that she was safe and protected and would always be that way, she fled in the middle of the night.

 

A month after she had disappeared her body was found ten miles south of the border. Roman had mourned her like he mourned the loss of his uncle. The thought of it happening again, the sheer thought that this human could bring down the stronger member of his pack-

 

Seth wouldn’t let that happen.

 

So why was he sitting out here, just outside of Marley’s direct line of vision? Because he knew that if Bobby Roode got an idea into his head, there was no chance of nixing it. So Seth decided he would be on patrol tonight, just for a little while. Watch over the one spot that lives just within No Man’s Land could become part of Roman’s or Bobby’s within a matter of one fight. The thought made the Beta’s skin crawl. If Tacoma somehow managed to snag Marley’s place under their lands…

 

He didn’t want to see that happen. 

 

He settled into his position, phone in hand, ready to call or text his Alpha at a moment’s notice.

 

Inside the house, Marley was finishing up her scrubbing. Her knees ached as did her shoulders and elbows, but the kitchen was clean. The main foyer was swept. The living room had re-fluffed up pillows and all the blankets had been put away. She felt better, more grounded. Roman’s smell still clung desperately to the couch cushions, but there was nothing more she could do about that. She sighed, tucking the broom away and putting her cleaning supplies under the sink where she had found them. 

 

She wanted to text Roman and tell him she wanted to see him again. Maybe make good on that morning jog he had promised her. But she wasn’t sure if that was her place anymore. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to go much further than she was. Marley wanted to. God, she really wanted to. The thought of kissing him, of holding him without having to hold back or overthink things or anything was such a dream that she was positive it would never happen. She pressed her palms to the edge of the counter and remembered that she owed her mother a phone call sometime soon. She’d hold it off until tomorrow morning.

 

Picking her phone up from the kitchen table, Marley opened it and clicked on Roman’s name. ‘I’m home safe and sound. Seth should be back already. I’ll talk to you soon?’ and hit send. Too much of a chicken shit to check, she turned her phone onto “Do Not Disturb” and headed upstairs after turning the lights off. 

 

Her bedroom smelled like Roman.

 

She shed her clothing carefully, dropping her shirt and pants into the laundry hamper, wincing when she remembered that she didn’t have a working dryer. She had a washing machine thanks to her grandmother refusing to wash her own clothes by hand anymore, but they had never fully transitioned over into a matching dryer. She’d deal with that issue after she was settled in her new job. Until then she would have to pray for warm summer days, and a clothesline that wouldn’t snap. She slipped her bra off and crawled under the covers in just her panties, inhaling the sharp scent of cloves and pine needles. She would have to clean her sheets in the morning.

 

As she began to fall into a light sleep, a single howl rose into the air. Marley felt the familiar stirrings of happiness wrap around her heart, and allowed the solo sound lull her into a deeper sleep.

 

She didn’t hear the answering calls five minutes later, or the way the first howl broke out into a desperate, snarling sound. 


End file.
